Can't Stop This Thing We Started
by makesmyheadspin
Summary: A collab between Scribeninja & me! After being friends for a decade, the wedding of mutual friends has Eric & Sookie coming to terms with feelings they didn't know they had. Can they make it work, or are they better off just friends? AH Updates Daily!
1. Down in Mexico

**Hi friends! Okay, so, this story is a collaboration between Scribeninja and I. I got it in my head that I wanted to try co-authoring again, and thanks to the magic of gdocs, Linds and I were able to write this. We did things a little differently than the way most people do. Most of the time with a collaboration, one author writes something and then the other author writes something and they make edits and changes together. What Scribeninja and I did was decide that we were going to basically role play a character. I took Sookie and she took Eric. So all of the dialogue that you see here that comes from Eric was written by Scribeninja, and I wrote the Sookie bits. We plotted all of this out together and had a hell of a time writing it. **

**The chapters are pretty long, but I doubt any of you will mind. They're also pretty driven by dialogue. This was a super fun experience for both of us, and we managed to write the entire story in just under a month. We literally just finished the epilogue tonight, so the story is complete. We're both impatient, so here's the first chapter. We hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Down in Mexico<strong>

"_So here I am, surrounded by sand and clear water. Watching the sunshine making tan lines,  
>don't know which is hotter. Mariachi bands don't play the blues and, that proves it's the only place. That you can have a broken heart and a smile on your face." –Jerrod Niemann<em>

I wasn't the least bit surprised when Pam picked a cotton candy pink bridesmaid's dress for me to wear. It was a little more revealing than the average bridesmaid's dress, but that was Pam for you. When I first found out that Pam and my brother, Jason, had started seeing each other I assumed it was just a sex thing. I'm not calling Pam a slut, or anything like that, but she had never really been all that discriminatory when it came to who she slept with. I knew she had been with people of either gender, but she refused to slap a label on herself.

My brother, on the other hand, was a total manwhore and didn't care who knew it. In fact, it was a label he wore with pride. So like I said, when I first found out he was seeing Pam I didn't really think much of it. Frankly, I was surprised it took them so long to finally hook up. I figured the relationship would run its course and they would both be back on the prowl in no time. Except that didn't happen, which is how I found myself standing in the middle of a beautiful cottage on a beach in Mexico two days before their wedding.

I hung my dress up in the little closet near the bed and went about unpacking the rest of my things. For the next five days, the cottage was home. We were staying at some fancy ass resort near Cabo San Lucas where we got little cabins instead of hotel rooms. It was actually pretty awesome since it meant I could have my windows open at night and listen to the ocean come rolling in against the shore. I had never been to the ocean before—any of them. The air smelled like coconuts and tacos all at the same time. It was a delicious combination.

I grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion and slathered it on my arms and the top of my feet before going out to the beach to do a little walking around. The next couple of days were going to be a whirlwind of activity so I figured I might as well get a little relaxing time in while I could. Besides, what good was it to go down to Mexico in the middle of January if you weren't going to return to your frigid Midwestern town with a tan that would make all of your co-workers hate you? The warm sand under my toes felt fantastic, and the water was a little chilly but not too much. I probably wouldn't be going for a swim, though.

I did, however, find a hammock strung up between a couple of trees and decided to stretch out on it for a while. A nap would be lovely. I closed my eyes and let the gentle swaying of the net underneath me lull me into a state of total relaxation. I thought about my brother and how crazy it was he was getting married. I was happy for him, really I was. He loved Pam and it was obvious she loved him back. I wanted both of them to be just has happy and in love with each other in fifty years as they currently were.

On the other hand, there was a part of me that was jealous. I wouldn't say that I had been chasing marriage, necessarily, but it was something I knew I wanted from the time I was a little girl. I was sort of typical that way. I wanted the perfect husband, three kids, a nice house and a fluffy golden retriever running around in my yard. I wanted to be the kind of mom who did arts and crafts with my kids on rainy days and baked cupcakes with them for no reason other than it was fun. I wanted a husband who could do little fix-it projects around the house and use silly voices when he read to our kids before bed. None of that seemed like too much to ask for.

Yet, every guy I ever dated always bailed out on me just when we were getting to the point where those things might really be possible. I was in my late twenties, and it wasn't like time was running out or anything, but I was starting to get really frustrated. I'd had my first boyfriend at the age of sixteen, and it was getting harder and harder to hold onto the notion that "the one" was out there somewhere. I guess you could say I was a little disillusioned with love, but I suppose that's what's supposed to happen when a girl has her heart broken one too many times.

I wasn't, however, ready to throw in the towel just yet. There were more than six billion people in the world. I'd been on hundreds of dates in my lifetime, but only a handful of those dates had amounted to anything significant. I could count on one hand the number of guys who ever ended up meaning anything to me, and that was a pretty small number when I thought about it. Five out of six billion plus wasn't even a fraction of a drop in the bucket.

It would be a mistake to give up this quickly, but I wondered how everyone else managed to find that one person so easily. Hell, my brother hadn't even been looking and BAM! he found Pam right under his nose. It was such bullshit! I took a deep breath and chased those thoughts away. I was happy for him, really I was.

"Sookie!" Tara called to me from a few feet away and my eyes reluctantly opened as she approached with JB in tow. Her belly reached me about ten minutes before the rest of her. She was five months pregnant with twins.

"Hey!" I waved but made no moves to get out of the hammock. "When did you two get here?"

"Earlier this morning, and what a fun time that was," Tara had a spiteful smile on her face and then proceeded to tell me about how JB had tried to save them a little money by flying them into a different airport and then taking "scenic cab route" down the rest of the way. "First of all, I'm five months pregnant _with twins_. There is no such thing as a scenic cab route for me right now, okay? Second of all, you know I get motion sickness so why the hell would you want to keep me moving for that long? And third, if you think for one second that we're having sex on this trip, you're out of your ever loving mind!"

My eyes went wide and I stifled a laugh so Tara wouldn't turn on me the way she had her husband. Poor JB. I felt badly for him. Tara was usually a pretty sweet person but those pregnancy hormones… man, they were no joke. She snapped at the drop of a dime, only to laugh hysterically a moment later like nothing happened. Sometimes I thought she did it on purpose because who is going to yell at the crazy, hormonal pregnant woman?

"Tara, I already apologized for this morning, okay? Can we please just move on now?" JB pleaded.

"No," Tara folded her arms over her chest, "not as long as I have to keep reliving it. I have two ninja kickers using my internal organs and targets. The least you can do is suck it up and listen to me when I talk."

Oy.

"Tara, honey," I bravely interjected in the hopes of throwing her off of JB's scent for a little while. She didn't snap at me, so that was a good start. "I was thinking about maybe going and getting a smoothie at a little hut I saw down the beach. Wanna come with me?"

Her face lit up and she said, "Yes please. I'm thirsty as hell. I didn't see a smoothie stand."

"It's this way," I jerked my thumb over my shoulder and JB looked relieved enough that he might kiss me.

"I'll go finish unpacking our things," JB offered and mouthed a 'thank you' my way before turning around and making a run for it.

He was gone for all of fifteen seconds before Tara said, "Thank God he's gone! I love him to death but there's a reason why our marriage works!"

"Did you just… you yelled at him on purpose?" I got up out of the hammock.

"Hell yes I yelled at him on purpose. If I told him nicely that he was starting to annoy me he would get all sad puppy. This way he just thinks I'm a crazy, hormonal bitch and he doesn't take it personally that I want some space," she shrugged. I scoffed and then laughed. "Honey, trust me, if you're going to stay together in the long run, you have to know how to work each other."

"Don't you think that's manipulative and dishonest though?" I asked her and she lifted an eyebrow.

"I think it got us what we both wanted. Besides, any hurt feelings he has will go way when I jump him later," she shrugged and grabbed my hand.

"So you were lying about the no sex thing?"

"No, I really didn't want to have sex with him right then, but my brain isn't entirely calling the shots right now. Someday you'll understand," Tara swung our hands between us.

"Yeah about that… I think I might just be single forever," I told her.

"You always say that when you go without a boyfriend for more than four months," Tara rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious this time, T! I mean if my tomcat of a brother can find a port he likes pulling into over and over for the rest of his natural life…" I shook my head and Tara laughed. "This isn't funny."

"You're being a little melodramatic, don't you think?" Tara asked as we approached the smoothie bar.

"No, I don't think I am. I don't want to have babies just when I'm about to start cruising retirement homes and thinking about trading in my sporty little car for a more sensible Buick Regal," I told her and Tara threw her head back to laugh.

"Sook, I really think you're putting too much thought into this," Tara said and ordered a blueberry smoothie.

Maybe she was right but then again, Tara had what I wanted. She was married to a great guy, a guy I had actually dated when we were in high school. JB was sweet and all, but he just never got my fires burning right and we decided it was better for us to just be friends. In fact, I was the one who introduced Tara and JB. If I was such a great matchmaker, why couldn't I make my own match?

We sat and sipped our smoothies for a while, enjoying the fresh ocean air and the sunshine on our shoulders. Tara had me at an advantage since she naturally had a darker skin tone than mine. Her mother was white and her father was African American, giving her a beautiful shade of mocha skin that I would kill for. As it was, I was pretty much perpetually golden brown but it wasn't the same. It took a lot of spray tanning to keep me that color. I was looking forward to returning to Chicago a few shades darker.

Tara started to get tired, which happened easily lately, and we headed back toward our little cabins. I figured a nap wasn't such a bad idea since Tara and JB had ruined my quiet time in the hammock. We parted ways when we got to my cabin first and I went inside. I loved my little cabin. It was so full of light and the view was absolutely breathtaking. There was just a bedroom, bathroom and a little screened in sitting area, but it was absolutely perfect.

The walls were painted a soft ivory color and the bathroom was light tan and palm green. The bedspread was striped with shades of gold and bronze that looked amazing in the fading daylight. The sheets were the same color as the walls. The door to the room was attached to the porch and a thick, creamy curtain could be drawn over to make the room more private and keep the light out in the morning.

I pulled the curtain after locking the door, which was really just a screened storm door. I was a little worried about security, but I had been assured that the resort was safe and exclusive. Hopefully I wouldn't be at the resort during the time period when there was a crime spree. Not that I had brought a whole lot with me other than clothes and things like that, but I had my identification and cash in the room. Losing my passport and money could be a pretty big problem if those things were stolen.

I stripped off the sundress I had been wearing since arriving in Mexico, since it was too hot for the track suit I had been wearing on the flight from Chicago. When I left my house that morning it was in the single digits outside, so the idea of wearing a bikini at that point seemed completely preposterous. I froze my ass off all the way to O'Hare, but I knew it would be worth it. When I touched down at the San Jose del Cabo International Airport at a little after 1:00 in the afternoon it was a balmy seventy-three degrees outside.

Did I really have to go home?

The bed was comfortable and it wasn't long before I was sound asleep. I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing on the bedside table and I rolled over to get it. It was Jason calling.

"Hey big brother," I smiled with my eyes closed.

"Hey Sook. You got in okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I meant to call you but I ended up doing a little sightseeing around the resort with Tara and then I came back to my room to take a nap," I explained.

"Good. Glad your flight got in on time," Jason said a little bitterly.

Jason and Pam had flown down the day before and it had been delayed due to a snowstorm that passed over Chicago in the afternoon. They had to wait for crews to finish clearing the runways before their plane could take off, and as a result, they missed their connecting flight in Houston. To say my brother had a mantrum would be an understatement, but that's the risk you take when you try to fly out of or into Chicago in the middle of winter. You just never know what the weather is going to be like.

"Yeah, me too. So what's going on now?" I asked him.

"We're planning to meet up at the main building for dinner at seven if you're interested. Amelia, Tray, Hoyt, Ginger and Eric are all in now, too."

"Eric's here?" I perked up a little. I didn't think he was flying in until the next day. He was reluctant to leave his business in the hands of the assistant manager for so many days, and closing just wasn't an option.

"He got in about an hour ago. Pam talked him into letting Felicia run the place for an extra day. I know it's his baby and all, but I sincerely doubt Felicia'll be able to run it into the ground in five days," Jason said and I had to agree with that.

"Don't even get me started on this. I tried for weeks to talk him into flying out today," I sighed.

"Yeah, well, Pam had to threaten him."

Ah ha, well, that explained it. I didn't bother threatening him. I agreed to meet Jason up at the main building along with everyone else for supper. With the phone call ended I headed to the bathroom to start the shower. I dug my iPod out of my carryon bag and plugged it into the iPort located in the bathroom. Speakers were wired all over the little cabin and I started a playlist I'd made especially for the trip to Mexico.

The Coasters began to play and I smiled while I pulled off my dress. It probably looked a little more like a striptease than it should, but I couldn't help it. I wiggled my way into the rather spacious shower stall and was careful not to drink any of the water that fell on me. That was the one thing about being in Mexico that made me nervous, but there was bottled water tucked away in the mini fridge in my closet. A closet was a strange place for a mini fridge, but at least I had drinkable water in my room.

The water felt good and I got myself cleaned up quickly. When I got out I towel dried my hair a little and combed through it before spritzing it with spray gel and scrunching it a little so it would dry in big curls. Most of what I packed for my trip was dresses and swimwear. Oh, and shoes, of course, although I don't know why I bothered since I planned to go barefoot pretty much everywhere I went as long as I was walking on sand.

I danced around a little to the Beach Boys while trying to decide which dress to wear. In the end I chose a blue and white tie-dyed maxi dress with a deep v neckline. I was going to have to get a little J. Lo with the double sided tape, but it would be worth it. Wearing a dress like that was a bit daring for someone like me, considering how naturally curvy I was. To put it the way Tray had more than once, I was 'fucking stacked.'

Genetics had been pretty good to me. I had long blonde hair, big blue/gray eyes that seemed to change colors depending on the light or what I was wearing. With the dress I put on, my eyes looked a little darker than usual, sort of like the ocean on a cloudy day, I guess. I dug through my bag and searched for the double sided tape so I wouldn't go flashing my boobs at my brother (just the thought of it made my stomach flip-flop) or anyone else we were having dinner with.

I assumed we would be sitting outside since that seemed to be the way the majority of the resort was set up. Then again, if I lived in a perfect climate like this all year round, I would expect to be outside for most of it too. When I was done getting my dress taped up I headed back to the bathroom to put on a little makeup. I had never been big on the stuff, unless it was a special occasion. Since this was just dinner with friends I only put on a little mascara, a hint of eyeliner and some rose tinted lip stain.

Before leaving my room I turned off my iPod and pushed the big curtain back out of the way. The smell of the ocean was amazing and I remembered to spray a little bug spray on myself just to be on the safe side. It wasn't a terribly pleasant smell but it could have been worse. I grabbed my purse and a pair of sandals that matched my dress, and headed for the main building to meet everyone else for dinner.

I got about fifteen feet from my cabin when I went back inside to grab a light cardigan to wear over the dress. As nice as it was during the day, the temperatures dropped into the fifties at night and it was a little too chilly to be wearing a maxi dress with my arms hanging out all bare. I made it to the main building with two minutes to spare and had just finished hugging Amelia when I was grabbed from behind and hauled up against what felt like a wall of muscle.

Eric.

I met Eric ten years before back when I was still in college and his business was really just getting off the ground. I wasn't old enough to drink in Eric's bar when we first met, but he gave me a job waiting tables part-time. Truthfully, I was an awful waitress. I was good with people, but that was part of the problem. I got a little too chatty and I was always messing up orders. I didn't hold it against Eric when he told me he had to let me go. He was so sweet about it and it was obvious he felt bad about having to do it.

Since I was under the legal drinking age I couldn't really hang out in the bar too much, but we would meet for dinner once in a while, go to movies and do other things that didn't require me to be in his bar. Of course, when my twenty-first birthday rolled around he personally made sure I got extremely intoxicated, but at least he stuck around to make sure I was okay the next day. To this day, I have no idea how much of my puke he cleaned up but he was a good sport about it. He never complained.

We were good friends. Honestly, he was probably my best guy friend. He was the guy I always sought out when a relationship ended in hopes of figuring out where I went wrong. It had to be me, right? I mean, the one thing all of my ex-boyfriends had in common was me, so I had to be the problem. But Eric was such a sweetheart that he wouldn't let me blame myself. He was always telling me it was because those guys were crazy and they were too stupid to see how amazing I was.

"Hands, mister!" I said when they got a little too close to my boobs.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed, then turned me around to give me a proper hug. "How was your flight?"

"Not too bad. I'm just glad to be somewhere where I don't need a parka to go outside," I squeezed him and then pulled back. "How was yours?"

"Ehh, you know, the usual. I tried to sleep, and the flight attendants tried to bang me in the bathroom."

"And you resisted?" I smirked.

"She looked too much like Isabel, it was gross."

I turned my head to the side and faked sticking my finger down my throat. "I don't miss her."

Isabel was Eric's gold digging ex-girlfriend who I hated the second I laid eyes on her. I'd tried not to be rude to her, but she made it hard not to be. I wasn't the least bit sad when Eric dumped her.

"Neither do I," he laughed. "So what about you? Any hot male flight attendants try to get you to join the club?"

"The only hot male flight attendants I saw definitely weren't interested in me. I think you'd be more their taste."

"Damn, I never get the flights with the gay guys."

"There's always the flight home. You could still get lucky," I shrugged.

"We'll see. Anything good happened here yet?"

"Other than Tara having some of her hormones rages, not really. I give it until midnight before Pam snaps at Jason and threatens to call off the wedding, though," I leaned over to whisper that last part.

"I'd be willing to put money on that one," he whispered back, then snickered.

"If I were meaner I'd place bets on which one of them doesn't show up the day of."

"I think they'll go through with it. Too much money has been spent."

"And Pam hates to waste a perfectly good dress," I sighed. "Especially since that one was custom designed for her."

I looked around Eric just in time to see Ginger approaching.

"Uh oh, scarecrow approaching on your six," I warned him.

"Shit. Dance with me, friend," he said, and quickly pulled me into his arms.

I glanced around him as I fell into the steps with him, and Ginger definitely looked like someone had pissed in her Cheerios. I quickly hid my face and said, "You're going to be sorry when she gets her hooks in you later."

"I'll just have to keep avoiding her," he said. "If I wasn't sure it would turn her into a stage ten clinger, I'd fuck her just to get her off my dick."

I burst out laughing. "But imagine all the lovely parting gifts she'd leave behind for you."

"And that's reason number two why she won't be getting near that area."

I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Really, in a lot of ways, it wasn't funny. Ginger kept trying and Eric just kept shooting her down. I had been his scapegoat on several occasions, not that I minded, but it made for getting a lot of dirty looks from Ginger because of it.

"You know, if she'd dial down the crazy you two would actually make a cute couple," I said and Eric looked like he might throw up.

"God, I don't even want to picture it. Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because it's true. Ginger's a pretty girl..." I trailed off. That was all I had.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Pretty isn't enough for you these days?" I teased.

"Not really," he admitted.

"I think you need to look for a girlfriend that you don't meet at your bar," I suggested.

"I'll think about it. I'm not really feeling the whole dating thing right now anyway."

"You're not still hung up on Isabel, are you?" I asked just to be sure, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that.

He snorted and said, "Fuck no, I'm not hung up on her. There's nothing to be hung up over. She was a shit girlfriend and an awful lay."

Well alrighty then.

"Stackhouse, party of ten?" A hostess with a thick Spanish accent calls, and I stopped dancing.

"Want to sit together so Ginger will have to find somewhere else to sit?" I offered.

"Yes please," he said. "You're the best."

I spotted Sam a few feet away and said, "I know you'd do the same for me."

I looped my arm through his, and we followed the rest of the party to the tables that had been set up for us.

**oOoOoOo**

I admit that I probably had a few too many margaritas, but I rationalized that I was on vacation in a foreign country where the water was undrinkable. Margaritas were a perfectly acceptable substitute. But as the night wore on and people became increasingly intoxicated or tired, they started to wander off toward their rooms. Jason and Pam were the first to disappear, but that was understandable considering how much there was to do in the next two days.

Tara was exhausted from the traveling and hauling around JB's babies all day. Tray and Amelia started to get a little too frisky with one another and took off giggling and pawing at each other. Dinner had been excellent. The food was authentic Mexican, as one would expect since I was in Mexico, and not much like the Americanized versions I had in Chicago.

I was sitting in one of the cushy, wicker rattan chairs talking to Hoyt, my brother's best friend since they were kids. Just as I predicted, Ginger was trying her best to get Eric's attention. For as long as I could remember, Ginger had been flirting with Eric every chance she got. Eric had been flattered by it at first, but it eventually became a little old.

All the same, the combination of the atmosphere and all the other couples that were dancing, laughing and having one with one another and the amount of tequila I had consumed got the better of me. Sadness and doubt began to creep in and when Hoyt excused himself for the night, I was left alone. I couldn't even smile when I saw Eric scrambling to figure out a way to get away from Ginger like he usually did.

Instead I went over to the bar, paid up my bill and took off down the beach. I walked along the water for a while, letting it kiss my feet and splash up my ankles. I stared out into the distance and up at the stars. Seeing stars in Chicago wasn't so easy on account of all the pollution from O'Hare, so it was a treat to see so many hovering over the inky Mexican sky. I wondered if, by chance, someone somewhere was looking up at the same stars and thinking of the same things I was.

Was there someone out there just waiting to meet me, or was I destined to be alone? My eyes filled with tears and rather than being one of those pathetic women who sobs alone on the beach like you see in romantic comedies right before prince charming comes along to sweep her off her feet (and that never happens in real life), I went back to my room to cry alone. It was dignified, or so I told myself. Back in my room I headed straight for the bathroom and washed the makeup off my face, although I don't know why because I was still crying.

Damn tequila. Damn brother. Damn wedding. Damn every single ex-boyfriend who broke my heart into a million pieces. I was well into self-pity mode and I didn't even think twice about trying to pull myself out of it. I was entitled to a good wallow, wasn't I? I'd get it all out of my system and feel better in the morning. Well, as soon as the hangover subsided.

I flopped back on the beautiful, comfortable hotel bed and stared up at the ceiling fan, watching the blades rotate slowly to keep the air moving in my room when the breeze stalled. I thought about getting up to turn my music back on. Maybe a little dance party would lift my spirits, but I couldn't find the resolve to actually get up and move my limbs. I was happy right where I was, tears and all.

I closed my eyes and seconds later there was a knock on the door. My head turned to the left for me to see Eric standing there in the shadows with a look of concern on his face. I sat up and made my way to the door to let him in. He was one of the few people I could let see me like this. I knew he wouldn't judge. Hell, he would do anything to make me smile again and I needed that at the moment.

"What's wrong, Sookie?" he asked as I walked to the door.

I said nothing, just opened the door and pulled him into a hug. I needed to feel close to someone, and the security of Eric's arms wrapped tightly around me did wonders. He was exactly what I needed right then.

"Why are you crying?" he looked concerned.

"Because I'm drunk and my brother is getting married to your sister and until him she was a fucking lesbian," I turned and walked over toward the bed.

"So you're feeling sorry for yourself again, got it," he said, shutting the door behind him as he followed me.

I shot him a dirty look and said, "I'm happy for them. I'd just be happier if it was me."

"You'll find someone, Sook. You're an amazing girl, and just when you stop looking you'll find the right person. Just be patient."

"Or maybe I'll be forever alone girl. I mean, I was with Alcide for what, fifty years or something, and look how that turned out! Maybe I'm just not the kind of girl guys want to marry," I plopped down on the bed. Yeah, okay, I was definitely feeling sorry for myself.

Eric sat down on the bed next to me and nudged the outside of my thigh. "If it makes you feel any better, I understand your frustration. Hell, I'd probably cry too if it wasn't such a girly thing to do. Though I will admit to indulging in the occasional 80's power ballad."

"Yeah don't think I haven't noticed your secret stash of Air Supply on vinyl," I smirked at him. "Maybe you have the right idea. Maybe it's better to just not get attached to someone, you know? Just take it day by day and have fun instead of always trying to make something happen. Maybe that's where I'm going all wrong."

"You just gotta let go and live. Stop worrying so much, you'll get more lines on your face."

"Lines on my face are the least of my problems," I got up and went over to the mini fridge in search of something other than water to drink. This situation definitely called for more tequila.

"Oh come on. You've got your job, your health, good family and friends, and one hell of a rack. What problems?" he asked, flopping back on the bed.

I looked down at my chest and said, "I do have a pretty great rack, don't I?"

He popped his head up and looked at the rack in question, licked his lips, and then put his head back down. "Yes, yes you do."

I sighed, opened the bottle of tequila and took a swig. It burned like hell and probably cost more than a black market kidney, but it was worth it in that moment. I passed the bottle over to Eric and started the music on my iPod. Lady Gaga made her presence known and I started dancing a little. There were few things that cheered me up better than dancing around like no one was watching.

"How much time do you spend looking at my boobs anyway?" I asked after he took a swig from the bottle.

"More than you want to know, friend," he chuckled.

"Just when I think you _aren't_a typical guy," I shook my head and took the bottle back. "Dance with me."

"There isn't a guy on this planet, typical or not, who doesn't like boobs," he said, and got up off the bed. There were lots of things to love about Eric, but one of the best was that he almost never said no when I asked him to dance.

"I just don't get the fascination, but I assume it's a guy thing. Pam tried to explain it to me once. That was awkward as fuck," I said as Eric spun me around.

"That's because Pam has always wanted to bang you, Sookie," he said. "And it's probably just a guy thing. We spend so much time playing with what we do have that we're fascinated by what we don't."

"You know, I sometimes wonder if I would be happier if I had a penis," I confessed and Eric stopped moving. "What? You don't ever wonder what it would be like to be a girl?" I took another drink from the tequila bottle.

"Well … yeah, I guess I do. I think smarter guys want to know what it's like to have an orgasm as a chick. Plus, we'd have boobs to play with all the time."

I shook mine at him and watched his eyes glaze over a little. Men were so easy. I'd caught Eric looking before but he hadn't ever really been quite so obvious about it. I wondered what that was about. Maybe I was just drunk.

"I could try and explain the difference but since I've never had an orgasm as a dude, I don't think it would go very well," I turned around so my back was to him and brazenly rubbed my ass against him. I don't know where that came from.

"How drunk are you?" he asked, taking a step back, but still dancing.

"I have a lovely buzz going but I'm not so drunk that I don't know what I'm doing. Why?" I got a little closer to him again.

"Because I think you've had enough," he laughed.

"Eric, we're on vacation. We're on vacation in Mexico. If ever there was a time to get silly on tequila, this is it," I went to take another drink but Eric took the bottle from me.

"But this isn't a vacation for you, it's for Pam and Jason, and she'll be pissed if you have a hangover tomorrow."

Oh right. My brother and Pam were getting married. My eyes filled with tears again, which I knew made Eric extremely uncomfortable and I asked, "Do you really think I'll find someone?"

He set the bottle on the night stand and cupped my face in his hands. "I'm sure of it."

He had such pretty eyes. Why had I never noticed that before? I mean, I had eyes so I knew Eric was good looking, but it just never occurred to me that we could be anything other than friends. At the moment, however, with the encouragement from my good friend Jose Cuervo, I summoned the courage I needed to close the space between us and kiss him.

Much to my surprise, his lips pressed back for a moment before abruptly breaking away again. "Whoa, what the hell was that?"

"I believe that's what's known as a kiss, in most cultures," I leaned in to do it again but Eric stopped me.

"Uh huh, and why are you kissing me?"

"Because I wanted to. I like your eyes," I smiled at him and hoped that by moving my boobs a little closer he might loosen up a little. "Why? Was it bad?"

"It didn't feel bad," he admitted. "But it's you and me..."

"Yeah, it is." I bit my bottom lip and stared into his eyes. "You never thought about it?"

"Of course I've thought about it, I'm a dude, and we've already covered the status of your rack. It's just... I don't want to take advantage of you when you're drunk and emotionally unstable. It seems like a good idea now, but... Wait, have you thought about it"

"First of all, I'm not so drunk _or_unstable that I don't know what I'm doing. Second of all, yes, I've thought about it once or twice. I just never acted on it because I was with someone, or you were with someone... it just never seemed like the right time. But now..." I trailed off, unsure of how to finish what I wanted to say.

"Now seems to be the perfect time?"

"Maybe?" I shrugged. "Would it be so bad to find out?"

He seemed to think on it for a moment before he muttered something that sounded like, "No more thinking," then kissed me again.

He was a great kisser with soft lips and strong hands that wound their way into my hair. When his lips parted I took advantage. My knees went a little weak, but that didn't deter either of us. I ended up against the wall with Eric's hands sliding down my neck toward my chest, and I smiled against his lips when his palms landed on my breasts.

"That didn't take long," I whispered when the kiss broke. "Do you want to stop, because I don't want to."

"No. Thinking."

I pulled my hair out of the way and said, "My dress ties back there." As if he couldn't figure that out on his own.

Eric seemed content to keep his hands right where they were, which, after all the boob talk was no surprise to me. His lips were moving up and down my neck while his hands were busy at my chest, and he was none too happy when I moved to pull his shirt off since it meant he had to let go of his new best friends.

"Northman, you are wearing way too many clothes right now," I growled a little at him since I had to peel layers off of him. Did he forget we were in _Mexico_?

"Then take them off, Stackhouse."

Yes and sir.

My fingers worked the buttons on his shirt, even though I wanted to just rip the damn thing open. Eric fiddled with the knot I'd tied at the back of my neck, and he cursed once or twice while fighting with it. Once he got it undone, he licked his lips and stared at my chest like he was waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be put in front of him. Stupid me forgot about the damn tape and when he pulled the top of my dress down, I yelped because of the tape pulling on my skin.

"Son of a..." I trailed off.

"Wha... what did I do?" he asked nervously.

"It's not you, it's the tape," I explained but that only seemed to confuse him further.

"Tape? Why did you tape your boobs?" Eric looked at me curiously.

"To keep my dress from blowing around in the breeze and flashing everyone my goodies, that's why," I grumbled and carefully peeled the tape from my skin, and let the top of my dress fall.

I was amazed there was no commentary from the one man peanut gallery standing in front of me, but then he was probably watching his tongue to keep from losing boob privileges so soon after getting them. Did I mention Eric was a smart guy? Even better, he finished unbuttoning his shirt for me and when I looked up, it was making my floor a little sexier.

"You should be shirtless more often," I smiled up at him.

The way his mouth opened and closed like he was searching for words was as good a reaction as any. I stepped away from the wall and my dress fell to the floor entirely, leaving me in just my cute little boyshorts. Since Eric seemed to be in a boob induced trance I pushed him back toward the bed and flicked the button on his jeans. My hands moving over his crotch, somewhere they had never intentionally been before, seemed to bring him back to reality.

"Are you going commando?" My eyes went wide when I looked down and didn't see any underwear under his jeans.

"It's Mexico," he shrugged.

"Maybe I should try it sometime," I winked at him and pushed his pants down slowly, my hands sliding around to his ass. It felt every bit as good as I thought it would, and I had thought about it probably as much as he thought about my boobs.

But then I looked down and my smile faded temporarily. Now as I said, I'd had thoughts a time or two about Eric and me being more than friends. We're both adults, he's good looking and sometimes things happen... it wasn't completely out of the question that we would be curious about what the other one of us looked like naked. Given that Eric was so tall and he was in proportion everywhere else, I had presumed that he would be big everywhere. However, my imagination had not done him justice, not at all.

"Holy burrito grande, Batman," I muttered under my breath and Eric snickered. My eyes snapped up to his.

I wasn't a size queen by any sense. I had my preferences, of course, which I assumed was really no different when it came to guys and their feelings about boobs. Some guys liked 'em smaller and some wanted just a handful and some wanted bountiful. I suppose I fell into the bountiful category, and where penises were concerned, so did Eric. Thank God I wasn't a virgin, that's all I'm going to say about that.

I sort of froze up for a second. We were about to cross a line we couldn't uncross. It was one thing to see each other naked, or to kiss a couple of times. It was something else to do those things and keep going. I wanted to believe we were mature enough that sex wouldn't ruin what we had, but then I told myself I was just being a negative Nelly. I wanted him. I don't know where it came from all of a sudden, but I wanted him.

"No. Thinking." Eric repeated and then kissed me again.

My mind was a blur and all thoughts of what to do with my hands or mouth went away. I just let it flow and stopped worrying about things like Eric told me to. His jeans came off and I found myself pushed back on the bed with Eric on top of me, letting those delicious, full lips of his get acquainted with my boobs on a more personal level. His dedication to making them feel included in all the fun was as admirable as it was pleasurable. It was almost like there was an invisible string in my chest that some hidden force above me was pulling on with the way my back kept arching.

He kept his eyes on mine as he kissed his way down and I giggled at the tickling of the little bit of scruff on his chin against my side. I felt him smile against my skin and my head had just rolled to the side when I heard a ripping sound. I looked down in time to see Eric pulling my panties away. They were ruined before but now they were destroyed.

"Eric!" I narrowed my eyes at him. I really liked those boyshorts.

"Sorry. I just always wanted to do that," he didn't look sorry, in fact he looked really close to giggling. Frankly I wasn't that mad, and really if it had been any other pair of shorts I probably wouldn't have cared quite so much.

It dawned on me then that I was completely naked and Eric's face was just inches away from a place that I didn't think it would ever be. He smiled up at me with those pretty blue eyes of his sparkling away in the darkness. He kissed a trail over my hip to the top of my thigh. Eric slowly pushed my legs apart and moved his kisses to the inside of my thigh. My breath caught in my throat when I felt his at my center.

I could feel his eyes on me and as much as I wanted to look down I just couldn't seem to be able to do it. My eyes rolled when I felt his mouth move up a little, and then his fingers were carefully sliding between my folds. I could feel myself shaking a little, my nerves getting the better of me.

"Sookie," his voice was thick. I looked down at him and he said, "if you want to stop, just say so."

"No, I don't want to stop," I said in a slightly trembling voice. "Just nervous."

"Don't think," he kissed my thigh.

It was easier said than done, but Eric moved slowly. He didn't just dive right in like a puppy with a fresh bowl of food. He took his time kissing, licking, tasting and doing everything he could to simultaneously get me to relax and worked up into a frenzy. He knew just what he was doing, and it didn't take long for the nerves to go away and leave me feeling really, really good.

His fingers pumped in and out of me slowly, twisting and scissoring a little while his lips fastened around my clit. His other hand moved up my body and groped my breast, kneading and squeezing until I pulled his hand up to my mouth and sucked on his fingers. In all the twisting and turning of his fingers inside me, Eric managed to find the spot that made my hips rise off the bed.

He growled and flicked his tongue against my clit, stroking his fingers over that same spot over and over again until he needed his other hand to hold me down. My moans and cries got louder and louder with the closeness of my orgasm, and when it exploded I called Eric's name over and over. My entire body felt all tingly, and like a livewire. Even my hair felt good.

My eyes closed and the grip I had on his hair (and I didn't even know I was holding onto it until then) started to loosen. He groaned and kissed the inside of my thigh once more before working his way up my body again until he got to my ear and whispered, "I had no idea you would taste so good." He nibbled my ear and then continued up to my mouth. I could taste myself on him and didn't mind at all.

I felt his erection pressed against my wet inner thigh and reached between us to stroke his cock. I just barely got my hand wrapped around him and I had a moment of worry that he might be too big, but I pushed that thought away. No thinking, I reminded myself, and continued to stroke him while Eric resumed playtime with the twins.

I kept it up until Eric pulled my hand away and said, "I'll finish before we start."

He rolled over the side of the bed and popped up a few seconds later with a condom in his hand. I was glad I didn't have to tell him to get one. I was on the shot, but I didn't know how many women he had slept with, or if he was incubating something he never bothered to mention, or didn't know about. Generally speaking, I didn't ask too many questions about Eric's sex life. I didn't feel like it was any of my business.

"Do you always carry a condom?" I couldn't resist asking him.

"Better to be safe than sorry," he ripped the package open.

He didn't know it, but I could have put the condom on him with my mouth. It was a skill I had picked up along the way but thought it might be a little too much at the moment so I kept it to myself. I rolled on my side and watched him. In the ten years Eric and I had been friends I had seen him shirtless a bunch of times. He worked out regularly and had a good athletic build. He was toned, but not ridiculously cut. My eyes traveled down, stopping again to appreciate his ass.

I licked my lips and kept my eyes moving until I spotted the tattoo on the outside of his left knee that said 'Lumos' in Olde English script. Eric was a big Harry Potter nerd. I reached over and touched the tattoo, giggling softly as I did so. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the tattoos, but it was Eric's body.

"I want to get a tattoo," I said while tracing the letters.

"No tramp stamps," he said in all serious.

"Duh," I rolled my eyes, "maybe I'll get an E on my ass."

He shook his head and said, "No, don't do that. You're too classy for that."

I smiled and tugged Eric's hand until he was bent over me so I could kiss him. "Thank you," I whispered against his lips.

Not that Eric was usually rude to me, but there was something different about his kindness in that moment. The way he was looking at me was different too. There was an awkward pause and then Eric muttered his new mantra, "No thinking," and he kissed me again.

Nothing was said for a while after that. Our lips were too busy doing other things, and I was at a loss for words anyway. I didn't think about what ut was going to be like in the morning when my tequila haze was gone and I was lying naked next to one of my best friends. I focused on being there in that moment and how good it felt to be with someone. The connection and closeness didn't feel like a lie the way a one night stand with a stranger did. With Eric it felt real, but I would think on that later.

"Are you ready?" Eric hovered over me, both of us flushed and breathless.

"No thinking," I pulled his mouth back to mine and kissed him again.

His body shifted over mine so he was cradled between my legs. I was so caught up in kissing him that I lost track of everything else until I felt the not so subtle shift of his erection at my opening, and then pushing in a little. Eric swallowed my moan, but broke the kiss and looked down at our bodies as he entered me.

I couldn't take my eyes off his. He had that 'I can't believe I'm having sex' face on that most guys had when they got a girl to sleep with them. I forced myself not to laugh since I didn't want him to think I was laughing at him, but that look on his face was something I would always remember.

He took it slow, thank God, since a guy like him wasn't built for immediate hard and fast sex. Or maybe I wasn't? Whatever the case may be, he gave my body time to adjust, and waited on my cue to start pulling back. It was interesting how my eyes registered his size, but it didn't adequately translate to how it felt to have him inside me. I felt full in a way I never had before.

All of a sudden, Eric and I were nose to nose, his eyes focused on mine. They were a little darker than usual. I didn't usually see that unless he was angry about something, but nothing about his body language said he was angry. In fact, it was hard to say what he was feeling, and I was usually pretty good at reading him. At the moment, all I saw was intensity. I moved my hips a little and just like that, we were off to the races.

The steady in and out combined with his lips fastened around my nipple again. It seemed Eric was a pretty big fan of my boobs. I was going to have to remember that for later. My hands went anywhere they could reach, starting with his ass. It was a great ass. Maybe the best ever.  
>How had I never noticed how sexy he was? Or maybe I just wouldn't let myself think about it. That sounded much more like me. But at the moment there was no denying my attraction to him. Was it genuine, or was it tequila and my fucked up emotional status?<p>

"Oh God! Right there, Eric!" I cried out when he lifted my hips off the bed.

Eric was on his knees, holding me up. My hands went up to the headboard to keep from smacking my head against it. The bed rattled against the wall, and as we made more and more noise, I was glad we didn't have neighbors on the other side of the wall. When Eric rubbed against my sweet spot again my hand slammed against the headboard while the other moved down to rub my clit.

I was so close to coming again, and then Eric slowed down. I wanted to curse him out in frustration, but figured it would be pointless. Instead my fingers moved faster, all my years of experience getting myself off were at my advantage. It was also obvious that it was a turn-on for Eric.

"Eric, come on, I'm so close," I panted, hoping he would pick up the pace.

But then he dropped my hips and rolled us over. I sat up and rocked my hips, grinding against his pubic bone. I put his hands on my breasts and threw my head back, my eyes closing as I finally got my release. Sweet Jesus he felt huge inside me when I came. I leaned down to kiss him and started moving up and down on top of him.

His hands moved to my hips and held them tightly, guiding me up and down. I would roll my hips from time to time, and just out of curiosity, I mimicked what he'd done to my nipples with his. He growled at me and hissed when I bit him. I didn't bite hard, but enough to get his attention. He lifted an eyebrow at me and then retaliated by slapping my ass.

Thinking I would throw him off, I gave him a lusty smile and said, "Do that again."

But Eric went with it and did it again, a little harder the second time. I don't know what happened, but from that moment on everything was a bit of a blur. The best way to put it, I guess, was that we just completely attacked one another until finally Eric got me on my back again. He drove into me fast and hard, nipping at my lips, jaw and neck. He growled at me in a low, primal way that was incredibly sexy.

Eric pushed one of my knees up toward my chest, and his hips corkscrewed a little with each inward thrust. He spoke in a language that sounded like German so I didn't understand what he was saying. My core started to tighten and squeeze him until a brush of his thumb against my clit sent me over the edge. I know I clawed at his back as my orgasm ripped through me. My eyes squeezed shut and my body was overwhelmed with that tingly, alive feeling.

I was moaning and catching my breath through the aftershocks when Eric thrust into me one more time and came as well. Everything was a little fuzzy and out of focus. That is until 200 plus pounds collapsed on top of me, leaving us a sweaty, breathless tangle of limbs and hair.  
>As if it was taunting me, my iPod started playing a Jimmy Buffett song that made me laugh, given the circumstances of the moment I was in.<p>

"What's so funny?" Eric lifted his head.

"Listen," I smiled up at him and moved some his hair off his sweaty forehead.

His head cocked to the side a little and then he grinned while I started laughing again.

_They say you are a snuff queen. Honey, I don't think that's true. So why don't we get drunk and screw?_

Eric rolled off of me to get rid of the condom. I watched him move and all I could do was hope that I would still feel the humor when we woke up sober in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it. I promise you Sookie will not continue to be as dramatic as she was in this chapter. She was just feeling a little melancholy, but she'll rebound with Eric's help, I promise. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	2. Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing

**Hello darlings! Thank you so much for your awesome response to this story! We appreciate all the reviews, favorites, alerts, etc you sent our way last night. For those of you who are wondering, we will be posting this story daily. It's a total of 37 chapters and that includes an epilogue, so if you would prefer to wait to read until it's complete, we totally understand. But for those of you who require a daily fix, you'll get it. Just a reminder that most of these chapters are _at least_ 5k words in length. I (makesmyheadspin) finished compiling all of the chapters this morning into a PDF file, and jfc is it long. But anyway... just like with all the other chapters, this was a fun one to write and I totally took advantage of one of Eric's character quirks here and Scribeninja let me run with it. It'll become somewhat of a running joke in the story, so we hope you get the same chuckle out of it that we did when we were writing it. Okay, I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2: Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing<span>

"_You ever close your eyes you're making believe you're holding the one you're dreaming of? Well if you say so. It hurts so bad when you finally know just how low, low, low, low, low, she'll go. Baby did a bad bad thing, baby did a bad bad thing." –Chris Isaak_

I woke up the next morning feeling oddly relaxed in spite of the hangover that had concentrated itself in my head. The privacy curtain was pulled almost to the wall across from the bed, but there was just enough light getting through that I could tell it was a bright and sunny day outside. The shower was running and the door to the bathroom was open. Either I'd left it running the night before, or Eric was still in my room.

My eyes closed and images of the night before started to flash in my mind like stills from a movie. I had total recall of the things I'd done the night before, and the very clear choice I had made to have sex with one of my best friends. I wasn't quite ready to process _why_ I had made that decision, however. I was going to need coffee before I could do that kind of thinking. At the moment, I would settle for figuring out why I was hearing singing coming from the bathroom.

It wasn't so much that Eric was singing, although that alone was comical. No, it was more about _what_ he was singing. It took me a few seconds to figure out it out, but I was pretty sure it was 'Getting to Know You' from _The King and I_. What the fuck?

"Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy. When I am with you, getting to know what to say. Haven't you noticed suddenly I'm bright and breeze? Because of all the beautiful and new things that I am learning about you…" he kept on singing. He actually wasn't that bad of a singer, but still… what the fuck?

How the hell did Eric even know that song, and why the fuck was he singing it in the shower?

Eric's clothes were off the floor and folded neatly on top of the dresser. His shoes were lined up, toes pointed against the wall. His methodic, almost compulsive tendencies were on full display. Eric and I were completely different that way. He was a total neat freak, whereas I always found something more important (by that I mean fun) to do than spend my time constantly cleaning things up. Hell, Eric had even made his side of the bed. It was actually kind of amusing.

At the bar he was always setting chairs so they were precisely at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock. Napkins were always perfectly squared. Coasters were stacked with precision. Bottle labels were always facing out with the liquors grouped by type, shelved by quality and then alphabetized. Glasses were arrived from smallest to largest. It would have been annoying if it wasn't so intriguing how his mind made up all these rules.

Eric was definitely hyper-organized and sometimes it drove the rest of us batty. At the same time, he never really got on anyone for their lack of organization. Although, my condo was always a little neater after he'd make a visit. Magazines would be alphabetized, or arranged by date on my coffee table. Like my brother and Tara, Eric had a key to my condo. Usually he called before coming over, but every now and then he would just pop in. I always knew when he'd been there because he would put all of my loose CDs back in the tower in my living room for me. See? OCD.

I had a key to his place as well. Before I left I would rearrange his DVDs. He had them organized by genre, then director and _then_ in alphabetical order. It drove him crazy when I moved them around, but I couldn't resist seeing how long it would take him to figure out what I had moved and where I had put it. The teasing was our fucked up way of saying we loved each other. In that regard, Eric was sort of like another brother, which made my decision the night before that much more out of character for me.

Nope, not thinking about it yet. No coffee.

Of course, life was now divided into before and after we slept together. Eric saw me naked. I saw him naked. We did… things—lots of things. Oh boy.

I'd had plenty of orgasms in my life, but with him… well it didn't feel wrong or out of place. In fact it was… no, not going to go there, coffee or not. It was just one of those things were too much tequila, no clear thinking and pure impulse combined, allowing me to make the decision I'd made the night before. No thinking was the order of the night, right?

But didn't it mean something that our bodies were so inclined to do something like that just because we took our brains out of the equation? Of course there were consequences for our actions. I rubbed my eyes and attempted to finger comb my hair, but it was a lost cause. I'd spent too much time being all sweaty and on my back the night before… okay, time to think about something else.

I got out of bed and stretched. I felt that vaguely familiar feeling of having been very well fucked the night before. Instead of cringing like I probably should I have been, I smiled to myself and walked over to the closet to choose a dress to wear. I didn't know what time it was, but I was supposed to be at the main building by 11:00 for our bridal party pampering session. I had just picked out the dress I wanted when there was a knock on the door.

"Sook?" Tara called out.

I froze for a moment, but then rushed to get Eric's clothes and shoes, and put them in the bathroom. I shut the bathroom door but then remembered I was naked, so I reached back in there to grab a towel.

"Sook, you there?"

"Coming!" I called out, my head pounding thanks to the hangover, adrenaline and noise. I wrapped the towel around my body and slipped past the curtain. It was way too fucking bright for me and judging by the way Tara's eyebrows shot up, I was pretty sure I looked like shit. "Sorry, I was just about to get in the shower," I smiled at her, hoping the songbird already in my shower didn't pick that moment to switch to opera and blow my cover.

"You missed breakfast," Tara looked me up and down, obviously suspicious that I was full of shit. "I was worried about you."

"Oh, yeah," I played dumb because what else was I going to do? "Too much tequila," I made a face to convey my disgust.

Tara seemed to be buying it because she motioned to her belly and said, "I know how that goes. Only my hangover lasted for three months."

I giggled and said, "Well, I might be a little late to the spa, but I promise I'll be there ASAP."

"Okay. Enjoy your shower," Tara waved and headed off.

I slipped back behind the curtain, breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the bed. The shower turned off and I heard the scraping of the rings as he dragged the shower curtain over. I stared down at my perfectly painted toes. Eric was humming a little tune I didn't recognize. Seriously, how did I not know he was a shower singer, let alone into musicals?

"Oh, you're up. I didn't wake you, did I?" Eric looked nervous when I turned to face him.

I thought about teasing him about the singing, but decided to keep it under my hat for the time being. We had more important things to talk about than his secret fondness for Broadway standards.

"No, that would be the hideous hangover," I smiled wanly.

"At least you're not barfing."

"Well if _someone_mwouldn't have taken away my tequila they would be impressed by my digestive pyrotechnics right about now," I smirked.

"I don't know, if I hadn't taken away the tequila you wouldn't have had the best sex of your life last night. Or maybe you just wouldn't have remembered it."

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself calling it the best sex of my life, aren't you?" Using humor to deflect the truth was a total self-defense mechanism, and I was guilty of doing it all the time.

"When you're ready to admit it, you come talk to me," he said.

"Well it was good," I shrugged. Downplaying it was key.

"Sook," he said, and walked up to me, then leaned down, bracing his hands on either side of me on the mattress. "The way you screamed my name? I don't think you have _ever _hit that octave in your life."

My face flushed, I know that much. I wasn't used to a cocky Eric, but it was oddly sexy. Wait, no. No, I'm not supposed to be using that word to describe him. Even with what we did the night before... just... no.

"First of all, you don't know that. Second of all, even if you _are_ right," and he was, but I couldn't tell him that if I ever wanted to look him in the eye again, "that doesn't really change the fact that we probably shouldn't do that again. I don't regret it, but it would probably be for the best if we don't go down that road. You're my friend and I love you, but I'm not _in _love with you. I think we both know we would drive each other up the wall and I know you feel the same way I do about that friends with benefits bullshit. So I guess I want to say thank you for a wonderful evening, and for being a friend when I needed one," I said with a slightly shaky voice. My heart was lodged in my temple and my throat was so dry I started wondering when I drank a sand milkshake.

In my head I completely agreed with all the things I'd just said. In my heart, however, it all felt like a copout. I shouldn't be feeling like I was taking the easy way out, but that was precisely what I was doing. I made myself a promise that, at no point, would I blame my decision on tequila. I had told him I knew what I was doing and I wasn't going to go back on that just because I felt a little awkward.

"At least you can admit when you're using me," he said in a tense sort of voice as he stood back up. He tried to cover the disappointment in his voice with a smile.

My mouth opened and then closed. I couldn't look at him for a minute, but then my anger flared up. "You know, I don't recall holding a gun to your head last night. You could have pushed me away, but you didn't."

He sighed, "I don't want to fight with you about it. It was a one-time thing, I know that, and I don't want it to fuck us up, okay? Can we just leave it at that?"

"Do you really think I was using you?" I frowned.

"It was a means to an end, wasn't it?"

I sighed and said, "Eric... I didn't mean..." I trailed off and got off the bed. Maybe it was better to just leave it like it was. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He took a step towards me and said, "I'll be fine," before leaning down to kiss my cheek. "I need to get down to meet the guys."

"Yeah I need to get in the shower and go meet the girls. I'll see you later?" I looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Of course," he said, smiling reassuringly. "Just try not to jump me in public when you remember how great I am."

"I'll try to control myself. Oh, you know what might help? If I wear a turtleneck later," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"It is a _sin_ to cover those up."

I went into the bathroom and got him his clothes so he could get dressed. "They're just boobs, Eric."

"Boobs are magical, Sookie. You just don't understand."

Obviously.

"Well, they'll be covered later. Besides, I would think you had ample time with them last night," I nearly threw in a bitter comment about me using him, but I didn't want to fight either.

"There's not enough time in the world to spend with a rack like yours. And I'll be crying inside when they're covered later now that I know how amazing they look naked. I hope you'll be doing the same when you see that I'm wearing pants."

I took a deep breath to keep from laughing. Or crying. He was kinda right again, but I needed to keep it to myself.

Apparently that message didn't get to my mouth because I said, "We _did _look good naked together."

Kill me now.

He smirked. "I knew it."

I rolled my eyes and started to hum 'All That Jazz' from _Chicago _like it was no big deal while I started the shower. I picked up Eric's shoes and handed them to him just as I sang, "It's just a noisy hall where there's a nightly brawl and all that jazz," under my breath.

"Why are you singing that?" he asked, but his eyes gave him away, like always. He totally knew I'd heard him.

"Just popped in my head," I shrugged and turned back toward the bathroom. "I'll see you later, Eric."

"Yup."

With that I left the door open just an inch or two on purpose and dropped my towel, knowing he most likely got a glimpse of me getting into the shower. Evil? Probably, but I figured he had earned that little peek. It was definitely going to be his last.

**oOoOoOo**

I walked toward the main building, thankful for the sunglasses hiding my hangover. The aspirin hadn't quite kicked in yet. I froze when I saw my mom chit chatting outside the building with Eric's mom. I completely forgot they were flying in early that morning. They stopped talking when Angela, Eric's mother, noticed me standing about ten feet away. I waved back when they lifted their hands and I told myself to relax before Mom called me out right in front of Angela.

Lying to Tara was bad enough, but there was no way Mom would let me get away with that shit. Mom was like, the Obi Wan of mothers. She always knew when something was wrong. Mom knew me inside out and hiding something from her rarely worked out well for me. All I could do was hope that my hangover act was convincing enough that she would take pity on me, at least for a while, until I could talk to her without my head throbbing a little harder with each syllable that came out of my mouth.

"Hey, sweetie! I thought you were already inside with the others," Mom hugged me tightly.

I kissed her cheek and said, "No, I had a little too much fun with Jose Cuervo last night. I'm paying for it now."

When I let her go I turned to Angela and hugged her as well. I liked Eric's mom. I met her back when I first started working at the bar and she was still helping Eric get a handle on running the place. She was a sweet woman once you got to know her but she was a hard ass up front. I guess she sort of had to be. Eric's father died when he was a teenager and had left control of his business to Eric's mom. As much as times have changed there are still some morons who refuse to believe a woman is capable of running a large business, but that was precisely what Angela did. And it was because of attitudes like those disbelieving jerks that Angela had a tough exterior when it came to business. She didn't let herself get pushed around and she didn't care if someone thought she was a bitch because of it.

In the words of the great Tina Fey, "Bitches get stuff done."

"Hey sugar," Angela squeezed me tightly.

"Hi," I said softly, playing up the hangover.

"Oops, sorry," she apologized and let me go. "I was hoping you'd have Eric with you. I stopped by his room this morning when I got in and he wasn't there."

"Oh, I uh, I haven't seen him since last night," I lied and prayed to God that both women believed me. "He stopped by my room for a little while but…" I trailed off, not wanting to make my lies _his_ problem.

"I'm sure he'll turn up," Angela smiled at me.

"Yeah. You know, he probably went for a run on the beach or something," I shrugged.

"For five hours?" Mom looked at me suspiciously.

"Or maybe he met someone?" I volunteered and that shut them both up. Yeah, I needed to shoot Eric a text and let him know his mom was looking for him.

We made a little small talk about their flights. Turns out my father and Pam's father were back at the rooms taking power naps. Dad was most likely trying to figure out how he was going to squeeze in as much time possible at the driving range on the premises. I didn't really understand the point of golf either, but Dad seemed to love it and since it was it was January there wasn't really anywhere to play in Chicago at the moment.

Mom's cell phone rang and it was Dad calling to see about meeting her for lunch. I gave Mom another hug and then sent her on her way to collect Dad. Angela stuck around for a few minutes to chat with me before I reminded her I had Pam waiting on me.

"Oh that's right!" Angela shook her head. "I swear, I don't know where my mind is today. Listen, if you see Eric would you please tell him I'm looking for him?"

"Sure. You know, you might want to check the driving range. I heard a rumor the boys were going to hit a couple of buckets this morning," I told her.

"Ah ha! You are a lifesaver!" Angela pulled me into a hug. "I know I've said this before, but I really hope Eric finds a girl like you someday."

What she really meant was that she wanted Eric to find _me_. It was sweet of her, really, but that just wasn't going to happen. Eric and I were great friends but that was all we were ever going to be.

"I'm sure he will. Eric deserves the best," I said as I let her go.

Angela gave me a very pointed look, but said nothing more on the subject. I timidly walked away from her and into the main building. I found the spa around the east side and checked myself in. Pam had us all scheduled for an array of treatments. Since my nails were already done, I canceled the mani/pedi and opted for a mud bath and a trip to something called the Grotto where I would get a full body moisturizing treatment. It was a damn good thing I had my bikini on under to dress.

With all of that set up, I was escorted to a locker room to prepare for my sugar scrub, eucalyptus wrap and Swedish massage. I sent Eric a quick text to let him know Angela was looking for him, and then put my phone, clothes and room key away in a locker. I was given a robe and then taken down the hall for the sugar scrub. It felt a little strange at first and felt even stranger when the wrap was applied. The massage afterward, however, felt amazing. That is until the masseuse, a soft spoken woman named Kinga, asked me how I'd bruised my hips.

Bruised my hips? I twisted and contorted myself a little to see the bruises. They were definitely finger shaped, and there were four of them on my left hip. Holy hell. That was Eric's handiwork alright. His left hand had done some serious grabbing on me the night before. I had noticed a hint of a bruise/hickey on my right boob, but I hadn't noticed the bruise on my hip. Well shit.

"Oh, I uh…" I trailed off, not wanting to tell my masseuse it was because I had slightly rough sex with one of my best friends the night before. "I'm not sure how I did that."

The look she gave me told me she knew exactly how I'd done it, but she wasn't about to call me out on. Her tip just got bigger. "I'll be gentle with that area," she promised.

"Thanks," I said and put my face back in the hole to enjoy the rest of my massage.

**oOoOoOo**

Several hours later I was loose as a noodle and didn't know how my legs were even functioning, much less keeping me upright. I stood under the perfectly tempered water and felt like I could fall asleep there. I'd never been big on spas and all that jazz before but after the treatments I had, maybe there was something to it. I was going to have to look into doing this kind of thing more often.

I was washing my hair with some fancy shampoo I'd been given when Tara waddled into the room with this orange goo dried on her belly. It looked like she'd swallowed a radioactive pumpkin. She made the most adorable pregnant woman.

"How'd it go?" I asked her as I rinsed.

"I feel like a million bucks," she grinned in a blissed out sort of way and started her shower. "How about you?"

"Same. I think we need to find a place like this back home," I told her and she nodded her agreement.

I was putting conditioner in my hair when I heard Tara gasp. I whipped around so we were face to face, worried there was something wrong with the babies. Before I could speak, however, Tara said, "Jesus Sookie, what did you do to your hip?"

She was crossing the space between us and bending to look at the bruises. Fuck. I forgot about those. Keeping mum with the masseuse was one thing, but that wasn't going to work with Tara. She would see right through me the same as my mom did.

"After you left last night I was goofing around on the dance floor and I almost fell. Eric grabbed to keep me from eating marble," I said as if it was the truth. I really hated lying to her.

Tara chuckled and said, "Well, it's good to know those catcher's mitts of his are good for something."

"Yeah," I agreed with a weak smile and quickly put my head underwater to keep from saying anything else.

Tara and I had been best friends since first grade. Our fathers were both cops, and we lived down the block from one another after she moved in three weeks before first grade started. Tara was the youngest of five kids and since Mom was home with Jason and me until after I graduated from eighth grade, Tara was at our house every day after school until dinnertime. All of her siblings were considerably older than her. Tara had been a surprise baby, born after her mom turned forty.

Back in those days it was safe enough for us kids to play outside until the streetlights came on, and we knew to be in the house by that time. Since Tara was just at the other end of the block, her mom would call when she got home and Tara would walk over by herself. Most times my mom would stand on front porch and watch just to make sure Tara got there okay. My parents treated Tara like she was another daughter, or at least an extension of me. I think she spent as much time at my house as she did her own when we were kids.

We'd been through everything together, from the first day of school to our first crushes (hers was actually on Jason and mine was on Mark Paul Gosselaar), and even the death of her father when we were in college. He had a massive heart attack while he was shoveling snow. He died on the operating table three days before Christmas. Tara was there when my grandfather died a month before we graduated from college.

We held each other's hands through tragedy, celebrated our successes, laughed until we cried and told each other everything. Tara was the one I called after I lost my virginity when I was sixteen. My room was the one she snuck into in the middle of the night when she had a pregnancy scare our senior year of high school. Not telling her about Eric felt wrong. Straight up lying to her about it was even worse.

And yet, I couldn't bring myself to tell her what I'd done the night before. It's not that I was ashamed of it as much as I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and I wanted to figure it out on my own. Eric was just some random guy. I knew if I told Tara I would be in for a lecture and I didn't need that. I had enough thoughts in my own head without taking on anyone else's.

Of course that was when Pam and Amelia walked in, both of them giggling over something. I quickly grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my torso before they saw the bruises. The last thing I needed was Pam snarking away and Amelia throwing fuel on the fire with her speculations. Pam started to complain about her manicurist getting a little crazy with the cuticle cutters, while Ginger came prancing into the room with more of that orange goo stuck to her.

"I'm going to smell like a damn carton of orange juice for a week," Ginger complained and I rolled my eyes.

The best thing for me to do was dry off and ignore her. I really couldn't stand her at all. She'd had a relationship with Pam, at some point, but for the life of me I couldn't see the two of them together. Eric had, however, and I think that was part of the reason why he didn't want anything to do with Ginger in a sexual way now. Truth be told, Ginger was very pretty. It was easy to see what guys were attracted to. But I suppose walking in on your step-sister going deep sea diving on another chick when you're eighteen will make you blacklist that girl for good. Even more confusing for him was the boner it caused, although I didn't think it was that confusing. Eric and Pam weren't related by blood, and although he was her step-brother, initially she was just a hot girl living down the hall from him.

I could understand why he would have a hard time with that. I never judged him for it, nor did I ever tell a soul. Eric hadn't even meant to tell me. We were drunk one night and it just sort of came out. I learned from that experience not to let him have Jameson unless I wanted to hear things that could potentially disturb me.

"You could smell like worse things," Tara offered and I hoped her hormones would pick that moment to flare up. Watching her go off on Ginger would be good for my spirits.

Of course Ginger completely ignored Tara (the two of them didn't get along very well) and asked, "Sookie, have you seen Eric anywhere?"

I looked around and laughed quietly. "Does it look like I know where Eric is?"

"Well he ditched me last night," Ginger narrowed her eyes at me. Technically it was my fault that he'd left the restaurant when he did, but she didn't have a chance with him anyway.

"What else is new?" Tara muttered.

"Ginger, I have no idea where Eric is, or where he went last night. I went back to my room and that was it," I shrugged and reached for my dress.

"He probably met some cute little señiorita at the bar, Ginger," Amelia waved it off. Why Amelia continued to indulge Ginger's fantasies where Eric was concerned was completely beyond me.

Actually, no, that wasn't entirely true. Amelia and Pam had the ability to turn into the Plastics when no one was looking. I was staring at a real life Regina George and Gretchen Wieners, with Ginger acting as their Karen Smith. It wasn't like that all the time, but it happened every now and then, and when it did, they were impossible to be around. Amelia had a tendency to talk smack about Eric, which really pissed me off. I didn't know what her problem was with him, but I didn't really appreciate a lot of the things she said.

"I doubt it," I argued quickly.

"Oh come on, Sookie, you've seen him at the bar," Amelia rolled her eyes at me.

"He owns the place! It's his job to be friendly with people," I zipped my dress up.

"He's not just friendly and you know it."

"So what if he flirts? That doesn't mean he's fucking everything with a vag!" I said angrily and everyone turned to look at me.

Shit. I'd gone too far. I needed to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. My brain was going a hundred different directions and I really needed a little space to myself.

I didn't apologize. Instead I grabbed my cell phone and room key, and stormed out of the locker room without another word. I couldn't think of anything to say anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Sookie is in such denial *smh* I remember when we were writing this chapter and Eric made the comment about Sookie using him and my heart broke a little bit for her because she didn't take that into consideration. Drinking and screwing your friends is rarely a good idea, in my opinion. What did you guys think of Eric's reaction here? Was he too hard on Sookie or did he hit the nail on the head just right? <strong>

**I also want to mention that this story will be told entirely from Sookie's POV, although I _may_ get the occasional bonus chapter from Scribeninja with Eric's POV for some things that will be happening later on. Thanks again for reading!**


	3. Make Me Lose Control

***sigh* Scribeninja talked me out of going on the defense for my girl Sookie but I still feel bad for my baby. She took a beating yesterday in reviews, even if she _did_ deserve it a little. That said, we'll see some resolution in this chapter, so I hope that'll make everyone a little bit happier (and a little less anti-Sookie lol). See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: Make Me Lose Control<span>

"_When I look in your eyes, I go crazy. Fever's high with the lights down low. So take me over the edge make me lose control." –Eric Carmen_

I stopped back at my room to ditch my dress, change bathing suits and pick up my beach bag. A little time on the sand under the sun would do me good. I also needed to eat something, since I had overslept and missed breakfast. I wrapped a sarong around my waist, picked a pair of sandals and headed out to get some food. There was a snack bar over by the smoothie stand Tara and I had gotten drinks at the day before.

The options to pick from weren't exactly the healthiest, but I got a taco salad and a virgin piña colada. I took my time eating since it meant giving my suntan lotion time to soak into my skin. The salad was delicious, but way too big for me to finish all on my own. I bought a bottle of water before heading on to find a spot on the beach to relax. I found a spot where there were a few empty chairs and decided that was as good a place as any to chill at.

I got my towel spread out on the chair, my ear buds snugly in place, untied my sarong and stretched out on the chair. The sun was warm, but not hot. I checked my phone really quick to see what the weather was like back home, and was thankful to be in Mexico when I found that it was snowing and in the thirties there. I would take the upper seventies and a cloudless sky any day of the week. I tucked my phone back in my bag, closed my eyes and let myself drift off for a while.

The smell of coconut in the air blending with the ocean breeze was wonderful. I didn't ever want to leave. Getting on the plane to go home was going to suck. My mind stayed blank for a little while, but then I started thinking about the conversation I'd had with Eric that morning. He felt like I'd used him, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

Yes, I'd initiated things and kissed him first. At the time it felt like the right thing to do. It was the way he was looking at me and… it just felt right. Truthfully, all of it felt right. Maybe that was why I was freaking out so much. I hadn't let myself think about where I would end up in the morning, emotionally speaking, but I really didn't regret the decision I had made. I also didn't think that I had used him.

I'd kissed him but he kissed me back. It would be a straight up lie if I had never once, in all the years we had known each other, wondered what it would be like if we were more than friends. Thinking about it and doing it were two different things. I didn't know where Eric stood, exactly. He had admitted to thinking about it as well, but it was obvious by the way he acted earlier that morning there had to be something more to it.

I tried to put myself in his shoes. How would I feel if things were in reverse? Would I feel used or taken advantage of? It was ironic, considering he was the one who had been worried about taking advantage of me. Now here I was worrying that I had used my friend in a terrible way that could destroy a decade long friendship.

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Maybe going for a swim would help. I took out my ear buds, wound them around my iPod and stashed the device in my bag. The water was practically calling my name as I walked toward it. It was remarkable how clear the water was. I dipped my toes into it, and smiled at the temperature. It was just about bathwater, which was perfect. I wound my hair up into a knot and tied it in place with the elastic that lived on my left wrist.

I waded slowly into the surf and watched the waves break in the distance. They looked pretty powerful not so far away, but by the time they reached my legs it was nothing more than a slight push. The breeze was a little stronger, though. It felt good, almost like I was flying if I kept my eyes closed. I let the water knock me off balance a little when I walked further out. Kept going until I was up to my waist in the water.

I sank down to my shoulders and started to dog paddle my way a little farther out. I swam out until I was up to my neck in water, but didn't put my head under. I floated for a while, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness, before I decided it was probably time to get out of the water and head back to my room to start getting ready for the rehearsal. I walked out of the water and headed for my chair.

My towel was nice and warm from sitting in the sun so it felt like I had just pulled it out of the drier. That was one of the best feelings in the world, if you ask me. I wrapped the towel around my torso and had bent to pick up my bag when I heard a bunch of familiar voices not too far away. I stood up and saw Eric, Jason, Tray, Hoyt, JB, my father and Pam's father, Charles, coming toward me.

"How was the driving range?" I called out and noticed that Eric took a detour so he would be heading for his room. I tried not to pay any attention to it, but it couldn't be helped. "What's with Eric?"

"Thinking about Isabel," Jason volunteered and my heart sank.

He was thinking about _Isabel_? What the fuck? He better not have been thinking about her last night when he was fucking me. I didn't want to think Eric was the kind of guy who would do something like that, but then we were learning some not so good things about each other.

"You don't know that," Dad piped up and then gave me a hug. "The driving range was excellent."

"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it," I said as Dad and I separated.

I let Dad do the talking through the rest of our conversation and tried not to seem too distracted, although my mind was definitely elsewhere. The boys departed to go play with the wave runners and I stretched out on the chaise lounge a while longer before sitting still got the better of me. I packed up my stuff and headed back to my room to start getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. I told myself no more thinking about Eric, but telling myself not to think about something never worked.

The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it.

**oOoOoOo**

I was avoiding Eric like the plague, which was the exact opposite of what I wanted to happen when I woke up that morning. I felt stupid for thinking everything would be fine. What had I been thinking the night before? Of course things were going to be different after we slept together. Then again, neither of us had really thought it through, we had just done it.

We did what we wanted without thoughts of the consequences of doing it. Turns out that wasn't too smart. I was kicking myself for falling off my usual path when it came to sex and dating. I should have just told that impulse to kiss Eric to take a flying leap, but instead I had listened to it. Now look where I was. It was such bullshit.

Instead of cozying up to him like I usually would have, I spent the majority of my night with Sam. Sam Merlotte was a mutual friend who was not so secretly crazy about me. He had never come right out and said so, but I knew the signs. I didn't say anything about it, or make a big stink of it. I liked Sam, as a friend, and didn't want to hurt his feelings. We'd hung out, mostly at the bar, and he was fun to be around. He was a good guy, he just wasn't my type. I didn't feel that yummy spark of needing to be around him all the time, and while he was good looking I wouldn't say that I was attracted to him. There was no lusting after him.

Sam was probably the exact kind of guy I should have been interested in. He was smart, sweet and hardworking. I had no doubt that if I gave him the chance to do so, he would bend over backwards to make me happy. He had all of the qualities I wanted in a boyfriend, and yet I just wasn't feeling 'it.' For that reason I usually tried to keep my distance from him so I couldn't inadvertently lead him on.

That night, however, I needed to be around someone who seemed to give a shit, and since that person wasn't Eric, I spent time with Sam. I know it was shitty of me to use him that way, and I swear it wasn't about trying to make Eric jealous. I just… I needed… hell, I don't even know. I needed to laugh and not feel so heavy in my own skin for a little while. This was my brother's wedding, for fuck's sake! I should have been having more fun than I was. If that meant dancing with Sam after the rehearsal dinner, then that's what I was going to do.

What I wasn't anticipating was Eric standing on the sidelines, watching me dance and laugh with Sam. I tried not to pay any attention to Eric, but that was like having a dancing elephant in the corner. My eyes kept seeking him out, only to find him staring back at me like he couldn't tell if he wanted to pull me away from Sam, or if he wanted to kill me with his bare hands. He could be so intense sometimes. I shook it off and tried to focus on being with Sam, since that seemed like the right thing to do.

Sam twirled me around the dance floor, both of us laughing and dancing like idiots. It was fun. I lost my balance for real, and Sam grabbed my hip to hold me steady. Unfortunately he grabbed the spot where Eric's fingers had been the night before. I looked over to where I thought I'd seen Eric standing a few minutes before, and was immediately sorry I did. Eric was giving me the stink eye to end all stink eyes.

"Sook, you okay?" Sam asked when I didn't move. For reasons I couldn't understand, I felt like I'd been caught doing something wrong.

Eric's face was stony and all of a sudden he just turned and walked away. My heart sank while my brain raged a little. What the hell was Eric's problem? We agreed that it was better for things to stay the way they were and now he was going to start pulling some jealous boyfriend shit?

"Uh, Sam, you know I'm not feeling so good all of a sudden. I think maybe I should go back to my room and try to get a little extra sleep tonight," I smiled weakly.

"Oh, okay. Do you want me to walk you back to your room?" he offered.

"No, no, stay here and have fun. I'll just see you tomorrow," I kissed his cheek and then walked off the dance floor, hoping no one followed me.

I made my way across the sand and went past my cabin to Eric's, which was a little further south. His lights were on, which I was thankful for. Now I just hoped he was alone. I took a deep breath, walked up the steps and knocked on the rickety screen door. "Eric, are you here?"

I didn't hear anything coming from his room, and started to wonder if maybe he'd just left his lights on earlier before dinner. The only sounds I heard were the beating of my own heart and the roar of the ocean not far away. I knocked again and hoped that maybe he was in the bathroom or just didn't hear me the first time. I didn't want to just walk into his room, but I was seriously considering it. Whatever the hell that was back at the main building, it needed to be nipped in the bud. Now.

"Eric! Eric are you here?" I called a little louder.

He finally emerged from the depths of his room and opened the door with that same sour look on his face. "Get tired of Sam already?"

"Not really, no, but I saw... why did you leave like that?" I stared up at him.

"I didn't really feel like watching you use Sam like that."

"Excuse me? How the fuck was I using Sam? We were dancing, Eric. It's not like I gave him a hand job under the table during dinner," I glared at him.

"You know he likes you. You were trying to stay away from me by using him. I didn't think you were like that, Sookie."

"And I didn't think you were the jealous type, so I guess that makes us both wrong," I folded my arms over my chest, completely blocking any view of my boobs he might have had. I probably should have been pushing them up and out instead of hiding them.

"I'm not jealous," he huffed, mimicking the placement of my arms.

"Oh bullshit! I've dealt with my share of jealous boyfriends in the past and you looked just like every one of them. Throw in a pair of those stupid printed pants and some violet contacts and you could have been Quinn!" I accused, knowing that was really going to piss him off. Eric and Quinn didn't get along.

"I am nothing like that Mr. Clean wannabe!"

"Could have fooled me," I shrugged and then started to laugh. "See, Eric, _this_ is why you and me would never work as anything other than friends. We fight way too much."

"You don't know that," he said, quietly.

My eyes snapped up to his and I said, "Say that again."

I wanted to be sure I heard him correctly because I was pretty sure he'd just made an admission, of sorts.

"I said, you don't know that. Maybe we would work. Maybe the fact that we call each other out on our bullshit is what we both need."

Well shit. The ball was obviously in my court. Did I want it to be?

"What happened to all that stuff we said earlier today about just being friends? Where did that go?"

"It's still here. I wasn't saying we should give it a shot," he said, but he was covering his ass. "I was just... thinking out loud."

"So you're thinking about us being more than friends?"

"I think about a lot of things."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Well, I guess I'll go back up to the main building since you're obviously fine."

He wasn't, and he knew I knew he wasn't. Ball back in _his_ court. Thank fuck.

"Great," he said. "Be sure to use a condom with Sam. I think he fucked Ginger."

My eyes filled with angry tears at that and I said, "I never knew you were this big of an asshole! And I wasn't going to fuck Sam, but maybe I should. Would that make you happy? Then you'd get to be right and I'd just be the stupid girl who sleeps with everyone out of spite."

"Fuck, Sook, I didn't mean it like... I'm sorry," he said, his whole demeanor changing as he tried to pull me into a hug. "Please don't cry."

I stayed stiff as a board, even though I really wanted to hug him back. "Eric, just because it was only a onetime thing, it doesn't mean last night was meaningless for me. I'll remember it for the rest of my life," I looked up at him and blinked back the stupid tears that had just decided to show up and crash the party. Not that we were really having a whole lot of fun at the moment.

"I'll remember it too. It was..." he trailed off and a blush crept into his cheeks, which didn't happen often. "You were the best I've ever had."

Oh hell. A little war erupted inside me. Half of me was cheering and feeling triumphant. The other half of me was head desking forever over this knowledge. Why did he have to tell me that?

"Eric, I..." I didn't know what to say. My eyes locked on his, hoping that if I searched them long enough the words might come to me, but so far I had nothing. "I should go before... I'll see you in the morning."

But I didn't move.

"Stay," he said. It was one word. One loaded word that was a question and a request.

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Please?"

I wanted to. Boy, did I want to, but common sense told me it would change everything if I did. I looked away from his eyes and said, "I'm... We shouldn't-"

"Sookie, look at me," he said, and my eyes snapped back to his. "Tell me you don't want to."

I told my mouth to say those words, but it wouldn't. I just shook my head back and forth. That was as close as I could get to actually speaking right then.

"Good," he smiled, and then he was kissing me.

And it wasn't just any old kiss, either; it was one of those movie kisses that made my toes curl and goose bumps break out everywhere. I think it was safe to say that I was figuratively fucked. He pulled me into his room and the door bounced shut behind us.

"Are we really doing this?" I asked breathlessly as he unzipped my dress.

He pulled away just long enough to say, "Only if you really want to."

Dammit, I did. It was probably a really bad idea, and I was probably going to end up hurt, but I wanted it. I wanted him.

"Yes," I said in a barely there whisper.

He smiled, "Then that's all we need to know."

He kissed me then and we fell onto his bed. The kiss seemed to go on forever. I got all lightheaded and lost in the feeling of his lips on mine. It struck me, as Eric's lips grazed along my neck, how normal it felt for him to be kissing me. It didn't feel at all weird or out of place. I didn't feel the urge to push him away, but rather to hold him closer. I didn't know what that was about, but I didn't need to figure it out just then.

All I knew was that there was absolutely no going back after this. Last night we could chock it up to a crazy impulse that we had been too silly or stupid to fight, but tonight was different. Tonight it was most definitely a thought out decision. We had each had a chance to walk away, and we had both decided to go through with this. We were both sober, as far as I knew, so there would be no blaming Jose Cuervo, or Johnny Walker.

Our clothes came off slowly, neither of us feeling the same rush we had the night before. Our lips and hands were everywhere they could go, tasting and exploring each other in ways we didn't the first time around. Eric dragged his teeth along my hip before settling between my thighs and licking up my slit. God, that tongue and the things it could do to me. For the rest of my life I would be searching for someone who could do the things he did and probably never come close.

"Look at me, Sookie," Eric said when my head rolled to the side.

I looked down at him and his eyes locked on mine. He kissed along my lower lips and parted my folds with his tongue. He laved, kissed, sucked and teased me I thought I was going to lose my mind. His fingers slid inside me slowly, twisting and searching for that spot that made my back arch and my moans get louder. He took me right to the edge and then backed off a little to keep me there. It was maddening, but in the best possible way.

"Eric, please," I finally whimpered, unsure of how much more I could take.

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes, which might have made me nervous if he wouldn't have curled his fingers inside me and pumped them a little faster than before. I grasped the blanket beneath me so hard I'm sure my knuckles went white. My hips flew up off the bed, but Eric quickly pushed them back down. His mouth went into hyper-drive and within seconds he gave me the release I needed.

"Eric!" I screamed, blindly reaching my hand out for his head. He growled when I grabbed onto his hair.

I was still coming down from my high when he got up off the bed. I saw him digging through his suitcase and he returned a moment later with a condom in his hand. I couldn't move, even if I wanted to, but I didn't want to. I want him. I wanted _this_.

I watched him put the condom on, and then climb back onto the bed. He hovered over me, his eyes intense and set on mine. I kept my eyes open as he dipped down to kiss me, and it surprised me when his eyes stayed open, too. I had never kissed someone with my eyes open before, but it seemed like the right thing to do in that moment. Seeing the slight changes in his eyes meant everything to me.

Eric pressed against me and my hips rocked a little. The kiss broke and I reached between us to put his cock at my entrance. His breath caught and I swear my heart felt like it was the size of a basketball. He pushed into me slowly, my eyes getting a little wider with every inch of him that sank into me. My hands rested on his waist, pulling him deeper into me until he was completely buried.

"Okay?" Eric gritted and I nodded.

His head dipped again and when our lips met, his hips pulled back. His thrusts were slow and gentle at first, giving me time to adjust to him, but the pace picked up quickly. My hips rose to meet his, and his lips moved down my neck, along my collarbone, and then down to my chest. The more intense the pressure got, the faster we moved, but it wasn't rough or too hard. There was just a little bit of frenzy to find that release.

He grabbed my hands and pinned them over my head suddenly, and breathed hard against my neck. I moaned and cried out, pleading with him to finish me. My orgasm was so close I could almost taste it. Eric shifted angles a little so that his pubic bone ground against my clit with every down stroke, and I bit my lip in anticipation of the orgasm that was about to rip through me.

With his free hand, Eric gently freed my lip and sucked on it before kissing me deeply. Our tongues battled one another and with a few more well placed strokes inside me, my walls started to clamp down on him. The pleasure exploded from deep in my belly, and I called his name over and over, fighting the hold he had on my hands. He thrust a little harder and came a few seconds later.

"Fuck, Sookie!" he shouted and let go of my hands. He fell to the side, but took me with him so I ended up on top of him.

"That was…" I breathed against his neck, my lungs sucking in as much air as they could.

"Perfect," he finished for me, and he was right; it was perfect.

_There's no going back now_, I thought to myself.

* * *

><p><strong>They still have a lot of talking to do, and the conversations will come. I promise you, these two are actually pretty great at communicating with each other. At the moment it's just a little awkward, but they'll figure it out. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	4. Between Two Lungs

Chapter 4: Between Two Lungs

"_No more gasping for a breath. The air has filled me head-to-toe and I can see the ground far below. I have this breath and I hold it tight, and I keep it in my chest with all my might. I pray to god this breath will last." –Florence & the Machine_

Fingertips trailed up my bare hip and I felt Eric's breath on the back of my neck. "Sookie, wake up," he whispered.

I moaned and smiled, but didn't open my eyes. I wanted to stay right where I was. I didn't want it all to go away. For the first time in a really long time, I felt ridiculously happy.

"Shhh..." I hushed him.

"We have to wake up though."

"Nuh uh," I shook my head and figured putting his hand on my boob would distract him. "Sleep now."

"Playing dirty I see," he said with a squeeze.

"No," I smiled and rubbed my ass against him, "_that _is playing dirty."

He groaned into my ear and stilled my hip with his hand. "I don't have any more condoms, Sook."

Buzzkill. I turned my head as much as I could and finally opened my eyes. Eric had the most adorable morning hair I'd ever seen in my life. Even though it was dark in the room I knew his eyes were bright and sparkly. There was, however, a look of regret on his face over the fact that we were out of condoms.

"Then I guess we'll need to fix that later," I leaned back and kissed his chin.

"I'm glad you still want to," he smiled.

I turned over so we were face to face. I couldn't believe I was going to initiate this conversation without coffee, but we needed to have it.

"What are we doing, Eric?" I looked into his eyes because I knew I would see the truth there if it didn't come out of his mouth.

"I don't know, but I like it, and I'm not just talking about the sex."

"And what about when we get home? Do we just stop what we're doing or..."

"I don't want to stop this. I feel... happy. I haven't felt like this in a long time," he tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"I'm happy too," I smiled at him and giggled when his hand squeezed my ass.

"So what do you want? Do you want to go back and pretend like this isn't happening?"

"Even if I wanted to, I know that wouldn't work, but I don't want to do that," I reached for his hand and laced my fingers with his. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose one of my best friends because we let hormones make decisions for us."

"Me too. But say we do this, give us a real shot... what if it ends up being the best decision of our lives?"

I didn't want to throw it in his face, but Eric didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to relationships. I mean, I had my share of bad ones, but at least I _tried_. Eric, on the other hand, wasn't really into the girlfriend thing.

"But you don't really do the girlfriend thing," I reminded him. I said it as kindly as I could.

"Maybe I haven't found a girl worth trying for."

"And you think I'm that girl?" I asked, knowing his answer was going to change my life one way or the other.

"Yes, I do. You get me, you don't play games, you already know all my faults and vices, we have a strong friendship as a base, and when I look at you I get butterflies in my stomach and my knees feel a little weak. And don't say that's only for girls, because it happens to guys too."

I was a little flabbergasted. He was feeling all those things and... this couldn't have happened overnight. He had to have been harboring feelings for a while and there was no time like the present to find out how long it had been.

"How long have you felt this way?" I asked him.

That blush came back for a moment. "A while..."

"How long is a while, Eric?"

"It's not like I've been holding a candle for you for years or something like that, I just... I don't know... I guess I started really feeling it when I was with Isabel."

I didn't even try to cover up my surprise. I fucking hated Isabel. Eric didn't know that, but in the name of friendship I had kept my mouth shut because he seemed happy with her. Their relationship didn't last when she started talking about them moving in together. He'd broken up with her shortly after the subject came up, and I had assumed it was because Eric was a total commitmentphobe.

"Is that why you didn't want to move in with Isabel?" I asked.

"I didn't want to move in with Isabel because I wasn't in love with her, and I knew I wasn't going to fall in love with her."

"I hated her," I finally admitted.

He smiled. "I knew that already."

My mouth dropped open and I playfully slapped his arm. "How did you know that? I was always polite to her!"

"Because I know you and I'm not an idiot. You may have been polite, but you were never warm with her like you are with people you actually like."

"So I guess that means I'm a shitty actress," I rolled onto my back. "I tried to like her, for what it's worth."

"No, it just means I know you better than you thought," he said, running his hand up my bare stomach and ghosting his fingertips over my chest. "And I know you did. Thank you for that."

"You deserve better than her, and I don't necessarily mean me, just better than her. She told me at your birthday party that she was going to try and get you to have your tattoos removed."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you about something like that? I didn't mention it at the time because I figured she would say something about it and you would figure it out then that she was a waste of your time. I mean, I may not understand what's so cool about Harry Potter, but I don't have to. It's your body. You do what you want with it," I shrugged and tried not to smile at the hand that was making itself at home on my left breast.

"I knew she didn't like them, and she'd made a few comments about them being childish and how she thought they weren't in the best spot, but I always ignored that shit. I love my tattoos, and that's all that matters."

"Preach, brother," I smirked at him. "So are you sure you still don't want me to get an E on my ass?"

He smirked and his hand reached around and under me, causing him to press right up against me. "I think I like this ass just how it is, thanks."

With as straight a face as I could muster I put a little eighties power ballad into it and said, "Skin on skin, let the love begin!"

He busted out laughing, and kept laughing so hard that he began to cry. "Add that to the list. You're the only person that can make me laugh so hard I cry."

"I would take a bow but we're out of condoms," I winked at him.

"Oh God," he groaned. "The thought of you bending over... We really need to get up before we risk it with a pull 'n pray."

"Wouldn't be that big of a risk," I lifted my leg and rested it on his hip. "I've been on the pill since I was seventeen."

"Shit, don't tell me that. The thought of being inside you without a condom is better than the thought of you bent over."

My heart pounded and my lady business was suddenly under a flash flood advisory. "Sounds like you need a cold shower."

"Or some sex. And if we're going for full disclosure, I'm clean. Last person I was with was Isabel and I've been tested since."

"Quinn was my last," I said, and paused for reaction because I knew he was going to have one.

"Quinn huh? That was a while ago..." he said, his body stiffening, and not in the good way.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just really fucking hated that guy. You could have done so much better."

"Quinn wasn't what he presented himself to be when we first started dating. He changed when he was sure he 'had' me," I explained.

"And that's why I fucking hate that guy. Just do me a favor and tell me I'm better than him, even if it's not true." He was fishing, but I thought he deserved to know the truth.

"Eric, I have sex toys that could get me off better with dying batteries than Quinn ever did, so yes, you're better," I said and I wasn't anywhere near lying. Quinn just didn't cut it.

He grinned, and his body relaxed once more. "So you have sex toys, huh?"

I tried to wiggle out from under him and said, "I think it's time to shower up."

"What about that awesome morning sex we were about to have?"

"I thought Quinn killed the mood?" I giggled when he pulled me back to him.

"If you keep saying his name, he will, but then you brought up sex toys, and I really like the images in my head right now. Plus, if we really don't need condoms, then what are we waiting for?"

I knew damn well what sort of images he had in his head, but I had to ask anyway just to see if he'd blush again. "And what sort of images are in your head right now, Mr. Northman?"

"Very, very pornographic ones and they come with some lovely sounds too," he said, and sure enough there was that blush. I wondered if I would see it more often now, and if I should tease him about it.

"You mean like this?" I moaned loudly, and then sighed his name.

"You just crossed a line you can't go back from," he groaned.

"Damn, where are my sex toys when I need them?" I teased and looked around the room.

"Make a choice, right now. Bed or shower? Either way you're about to get fucked like you've never been fucked before."

My heart leapt into my chest and that flood advisory was a full on alert. Still, I baited him. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Northman," I pulled him on top of me.

He growled and pinned my wrists to the mattress. "You just made the best decision ever. Looks like you're getting it once on the bed, and then again in the shower."

Sweet baby Jesus.

I hope he realized I was going to need to be able to walk later and preferably without any sort of limping or discomfort. Just then his cell phone started ringing on the bedside table and he growled in frustration.

"Are you going to get that?" I asked.

"It might be Jason, and I don't think either one of us want him to come here if he's freaking out about lost rings or something."

Eric rolled off of me and grabbed his phone, but then quickly set it aside with a relieved smile on his face. "Not important, huh?"

"Nope. I'm free to get you thoroughly sexed."

"You sure? I have plenty of practice doing it myself," I said as my hand drifted slowly down my stomach.

He growled again, and practically pounced on me again. "You won't need to as long as I'm here, but feel free because it's hot as fuck."

My hand paused for a moment, but then kept going. My eyes were on his as my hand found its destination between my thighs. I moaned and said, "Mmm, I'm so wet, Eric."

"Fuck, I can take it from there," he groaned, and faster than I could register he was settling between my thighs.

Eric attacked with a ferocity I had never experienced before. He wasted no time getting my hand out of his way and replacing it with his mouth.

**oOoOoOo**

"So um, what are we going to tell people?" I asked Eric while we dried off.

"I don't think I want to," he said. "I mean, not like I want you to be my dirty little secret, but I feel like I want to keep it to just us. So maybe we should just not tell them anything."

"Do you really think we can keep it a secret?" I asked skeptically.

"I think we can try. It could be fun, really, sneaking around. Like the joke's on them."

"So you mean later if we're sitting at the head table while Jason and Pam are having their first dance and I just happen to reach under the table and start rubbing your thigh, you're not going to have a reaction?" I smirked and started searching for my panties.

"I don't think you remember how good my poker face is, Sookie. And I expect you'll be using yours when I retaliate."

"I have a terrible poker face!" I practically whined, but then said, "Maybe I'll just dance with Sam."

"You can't say things like that if you don't want us to be late."

"Like what?" I asked innocently as I pulled on my panties.

"I'm just telling you now, I have a jealous side, and it doesn't come out often, but it seems to really like to rear its head around you. I'm not saying you can't talk to other guys and shit like that, but the teasing? That shit will get me riled up quicker than anything, and it will get you fucked."

"So if I want to fuck you later I should slow dance with Sam?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"If you want to fuck me later all you have to do is tell me so. Slow dancing with Sam will get you dragged into the nearest closet."

I probably shouldn't be turned on by the thought of that, but I was. Big time. I almost wanted to call him on his bluff, but I really didn't think he was joking. His eyes were darker than usual, which suggested he was damn serious. I picked up my bra but decided not to bother with it. Really, I should have just put my dress on and ran back to my room.

"How about if I just slow dance with you then?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Just try to resist grabbing my ass. People might suspect something."

"I make no promises," I stretched up and kissed him. "Also, you should know that Pam picked dresses for us that don't leave much to the imagination."

"I love my sister," he grinned.

I snorted and said, "Remember that when Sam is eyeballing your new best friends."

"I will. It's not like Sam gets the privilege of seeing them naked. His curse is having to use his imagination while I know the real thing. Intimately."

I smiled and picked up my dress. "Do you need to say goodbye to the girls before I cover them up for the day?"

"I think I said goodbye to them in the shower."

"Just checking," I stepped into my dress and pulled it up, effectively cutting them off from his view. There was a flash of a sad puppy expression on his face before he snapped out of it.

"I already miss you."

"Me or my tits?" I snorted.

"Both. And your ass."

I looked over my shoulder at my butt. I really didn't think there was anything remarkable about it, but then I didn't get the boob fascination either. Now I wondered if it was just a guy thing, or if it was an Eric thing. I'd ask later. If I asked now we would _never_ get out of his room.

"I'll miss your ass too," I scrunched my nose at him and zipped my dress.

"You really do like my ass, don't you? I think I have fingerprint-shaped bruises all over it."

"Shut your lips! I'm not that rough," I narrowed my eyes at him. But then I perked up and said, "I guess I'll just have to check it out later though. You might need a massage."

He smirked. "I think someone has an ass fetish."

"No, this is something unique to your ass," I assured him.

"What else is unique to me?" he asked, fishing again.

"Mmmm... the way your eyes get darker when you feel something intense. This spot right here," I reached up and touched his side so my fingers ghosted over his ribs, making him break out in goose bumps, "I've never seen that happen to someone before."

I intentionally didn't mention his cock, and I knew that was what he was really searching for a compliment on.

"Anything else?"

I shrugged and said, "Nah. Everything else is pretty... ordinary."

"Oh really? And that's why you always have that look on your face the first time I thrust into you?"

Oh God, this was going to backfire on me. Or was it?

"Awww Eric, I love Princess Sophia-"

"Excuse me? Prin...Princess Sophia?"

"Yeah."

"Well alright then. I think Princess Sophia and I want to be alone tonight," he said, and turned away from me. "Hope you don't mind."

"Eric," I wrapped my arms around him from behind. He hadn't gotten dressed yet, and that was definitely to my advantage. "I was just teasing you. You know you get the job done. The name isn't what matters, unless it's the one I'm screaming when you make me come."

"Will you just say it?"

"Eric!" I shouted like I meant it.

"Not that, but I do appreciate the enthusiasm."

"Then what? Do you want me to say that you're the best I've ever had?"

"Yeah..." he said, rather quietly.

I kissed the back of his arm and said, "Eric, you are, without a doubt, the best I've ever had."

"But now I feel like you're just saying it because I want to hear it. And now I sound like a needy girlfriend."

I moved around so I was standing in front of him but he wouldn't look at me until I grabbed his chin and forced him to. "Listen to me, Eric, because I'm not going to say this again. You are the best. You're bigger, better and more amazing than I ever could have imagined. Getting drunk and kissing you was the smartest thing I've done in a really long time."

He smiled a big, stupid, happy grin. "I'm glad you got drunk and kissed me too."

"I really wish my stupid brother wasn't getting married in a couple of hours," I stared up into his eyes, "we wouldn't have to leave this room."

"If your stupid brother wasn't getting married in a couple of hours we wouldn't be here. You never would have gotten drunk and kissed me."

"So you never would have told me about your butterflies?"

"Nope."

"Why not? Don't you think that's the kind of thing you should tell someone? We could have been doing this months ago if you had," I pointed out.

"If I had come to you even just a few weeks ago and said that you made me weak in the knees, you would have never taken me seriously."

"Yes I would. I might have thought you were nuts for it, but I would have taken you seriously."

"And you would have said that you love me, but that we should just stay friends. It's not really a secret that I'm not the best at relationships, and it's not really a secret that that's what you want."

"Yeah, it is what I want," I looked up at him and rested my hands on his waist. "Are you okay with that, Eric? Is that what you want?"

"If it's with you, it is."

Well, there it was. My head spun a little at the notion. Yeah, we were friends, but there had to be something about me specifically that caught his eye. I had no idea what that thing was, and knowing Eric if I asked, he would say that it was my rack. The conversation was getting too heavy for the time allotted. Besides, maybe it would better to wait to have this discussion.

"I have an idea. How about if we table this talk until we get back home? Why don't we just enjoy the time we have here in Mexico and see if we still feel the same way when we get back to our regular lives?" I suggested, and hoped Eric didn't take that as me dumping him before we even got off the ground.

He was silent for a moment, but he finally nodded and said, "That's fine with me, but don't run from this, Sook. I know it could be good. I can feel it."

"I'm not running, Eric; I swear. I just don't want us to rush into putting a label on whatever this is. I mean we haven't even been on a date yet. We went from friends to fuck buddies, for lack of a better term, overnight. We'll figure it out when we get home."

"Okay, but you're not just a fuck buddy to me. You never were."

"I know," I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest so I could hear his heart pounding away in there. "You were never that for me either."

"Good. And when we get home, the first thing I'm going to do is call to ask you on a date."

"You realize you could just ask me right now, right?" I smiled against his chest.

"I could, but I don't know movie times right now," he chuckled.

"Or which James Cameron films are playing..."

"Ha. Ha. Sookie made a funny."

Dude had an irrational hatred where James Cameron is concerned. I decided then and there if we were still a couple, or whatever we currently were at Halloween, I was going to make him dress up like Jack Dawson.

"Who was trying to be funny?" I looked up at him.

"You," he said, and kissed my nose.

Eric's phone rang again and I remembered there was an outside world. I really had to get my ass in gear. I was sure I was already late and Pam wasn't the sort of bride who wanted to hear excuses, especially since I had been late the day before. If Eric and I were going to keep this quiet, then I really needed to pry myself off of him and get back to the rest of the world.

"I should go," I let go of him, even though I didn't want to.

"Yeah, I need to get ready too. Thank God I don't have to do all that primping shit you women do."

"Ah yes, but you'll appreciate it later," I wiggled my eyebrows. I grabbed my bra off the bed and folded it as much as I could. "See you on the beach later."

"Looking forward to it," he winked at me.

I blew a kiss at him and then left his room before I decided to blow off my brother's wedding in favor of more sex.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so I have to tell you that Scribeninja threw me a curve ball in this chapter. In the original outline for this story, it was planned that Eric and Sookie would agree with the idea that they should just be friends after sleeping together. Then Eric went and started acting butthurt over the way Sookie reacted the morning after. I didn't mind it since I think it actually created the tension we needed between these two in order to showcase their different approaches to relationships and things like that.<strong>

**But then in THIS chapter Eric busts out the confession that he's sort of had a thing for Sookie for a while now, and that completely threw me off my game. To this day Scribeninja insists that Eric's feelings weren't "that big of a deal" but I beg to differ about that. I wasn't expecting that revelation at all, and it sort of set a trend for the writing process of this story and Scribeninja ended throwing me a couple of curve balls as the writing progressed.  
><strong>

**And just to put everyone's mind at ease, Sookie will _not_ try to run from Eric. There's just a lot going on with the wedding and all that stuff that they both need to be focusing on at the moment. Thanks so much for all of your reviews, alerts, faves and the like. I'm doing sporadic review responses, but if you have questions that aren't of a spoilery nature, we're more than happy to answer them for you so don't be shy! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Sooner Surrender

**Yeah so I almost uploading _this_ chapter by mistake yesterday instead of chapter 4. That would have been a problem lol. I'm glad most of you were satisfied with the conversation they had in the last chapter. They'll be doing more talking once all this wedding stuff is out of the way, _I promise_. And just to reiterate, Sookie is _not_ a runner this time around, so you don't need to worry about that. Scribeninja and I (I'm recently converted) are pretty big angst babies, so we tried to keep that to a minimum, although this story defo has its moments. But we'll talk more about that later. This chapter is longer than the others (except for the first one) and is definitely NSFW toward the end. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: Sooner Surrender<span>

"_I'm waiting for something. I've waited for now, for the rolling canyons of love. And I'm tongue tied, and you're coming alive, coming alive" –Matt Nathanson_

The wedding was beautiful, but that was what I expected for a sunset ceremony on the beach. Pam had a short line of bridesmaids that were wearing different shades of yellow, gold, peach, pink and an almost pumpkin color. I was thankful Pam had asked Amelia to be her maid of honor, because as happy as I was for my brother, and as much as I liked Pam, I just didn't think I had it in me to deal with her during the planning phase.

Helping her pick out flowers had been enough of a battle, and that wasn't even really much to work with considering the wedding package was part of our stay at the resort. The ones we chose were beautiful, but it had been a three day debate. Pam was meticulous when it came to planning things, down to the smallest of details. From the way our nails were supposed to be manicured, to the way we were supposed to have our hair and makeup done, to the scented candles that were supposed to be in the centerpieces on the tables, Pam thought of everything. She had an opinion on everything.

Eric and I tried to act like nothing had changed between us, although I'm sure we probably looked at each other a little too often, or for a little too long. I tried not to stare directly at him as I walked down the aisle on the beach, but I could feel him watching me. Mostly, I felt his eyes on my breasts. The thought made me blush a little and I hoped no one noticed.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and in no time, Jason and Pam were married. Pam was my sister-in-law. Weird. I never would have guessed when I first met her years ago, back in college when she was _banging Amelia_. I had to mentally shake myself. I still didn't get Jason and Pam, but that didn't matter.

After the ceremony we took pictures until I was sure my face was frozen in a permanent smile. Eric and I kept shooting each other looks and I would smile and look away before it went too far. Pam had the two of us pose together for a picture, and Eric took the opportunity to rub against me a little more than he should.

"Quit it, or you'll get us caught," I whispered so only he could hear, and smiled pretty for the camera.

"I can't help it. That dress was made to be torn off of you," he squeezed my hips.

Jesus, he was going to kill me.

I needed to get away from him before I lost complete control of myself and let him jump me right there on the beach. Thankfully, Jason had some hair brain idea for a group shot of the guys that took Eric further down the beach. As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help but watch Eric walk away. He just looked so damn yummy in the sand colored suit he was wearing.

"You okay?" Tara asked, cutting through my sex-filled brain.

"What? Yeah, fine," I smiled over at her. "Why?"

"You just seem distracted," she eyed me skeptically.

"No, I'm good," I insisted.

Tara didn't look like she was buying it, but then thankfully one of her babies stomped her bladder and she was on the run (or at least a really fast waddle) for the nearest bathroom. I felt bad for Tara. The dress Pam had picked looked great on Tara before she got pregnant, and now… well, now there was definitely no hiding the fact that Tara was pregnant. Not that Tara wanted to hide it, but the lines of the dress were all wrong for her body.

"So you're my sister now," Pam snuck up on me.

"Yes, I guess I am." I turned and smiled at her. "I'd hug you but I'm afraid you'd punch me."

"I would never," Pam feigned offense. "I would try to cop a feel."

I laughed since I had no doubt she was telling the truth, and I would hate to see her step-brother fly into a fit of jealous rage and lay her out at her own wedding. In a lot of ways I knew Eric saw Pam as one of the guys. The fact that they could scam on chicks together caused a shitstorm of confusion for him. I couldn't imagine checking out dudes with Jason if he was gay. It was bad enough that Pam didn't seem to get that I didn't want to hear about her sex life where my brother was concerned. Just… no.

"Pam, we need you over here!" the photographer called and I was left standing alone on the beach.

I looked over to where the guys were all standing around together, laughing over whatever was funny at the moment. Eric turned his head and our eyes met. I winked at him and then turned to head up to the reception area a little closer to the resort.

**oOoOoOo**

Soft jazz played all through supper, which I knew was driving Jason crazy. For as long as I could remember he had been a total redneck when it came to music. I had no idea where it came from, but he loved his pickup truck and his old Bassett Hound, Cyrus, more than anything else in the world. That was part of the reason Pam and Jason just didn't make a whole lot of sense on paper. Considering he had grown up in a suburb of Chicago, he was a country boy. Pam was most definitely not.

Eric was sitting to my left so he was sandwiched between Pam and me, and I was doing my best to keep my hand out of his lap. The second the photographer called Pam and Jason away from the table to take pictures, however, my hand started traveling and Eric nearly choked on his drink.

"You okay over there?" I smirked, knowing precisely why he'd sputtered like that.

"Just fine," he said, refusing to look at me, or at his lap.

"Good," I let my hand move a little farther up his thigh.

"I'm warning you now..."

"Well in that case," I pulled my hand away, and he looked over at me with a hint of frustration. "Want me to put it back?"

"You like playing with fire, don't you?"

"Maybe a little," I acknowledged and took a drink of my champagne. "Don't you?"

"You'll have to wait and see," he said, a promise in his voice.

I cleared my throat and shifted in my chair and made sure my chest was pressed against his arm before whispering in his ear, "I'm going to hold you to that."

"Evil."

"I'm an angel," I batted my eyelashes at him and then resumed a normal posture in my chair. Obviously Eric disagreed with that. I finished what was left of my champagne and then got up to go get another drink.

The breeze blew my skirt around my legs, tickling them as I walked over to the bar at the far end of the structure where the reception was being held. I didn't notice that Eric was following me until I leaned up against the bar to order a drink and I felt him press himself against me from behind. Yeah, I was definitely asking for trouble if I kept letting my hand wander around under the table.

"I think we need tequila," I smiled at him over my shoulder.

"I think we'll be fine without it."

"Of course we will. I just thought it would be fun. Aren't you the one who is always handing me drinks when we're at your bar?" I reminded him.

"Yes, but if we drink too much now, I won't be able to keep from making it very, very obvious that we're fucking in our spare time."

"Mmm... good point," I slid out from under him, in a manner of speaking, and ordered another glass of champagne.

"Hey, Eric," Ginger appeared from out of nowhere like a fucking swamp monster, and starting running her bony fingers up and down Eric's arm.

"Hello Ginger," he said as cordially as he could while attempting to move just enough so that she'd stop touching him.

"That suit looks really good on you," she looked him up and down, completely ignoring the fact that I was standing there.

"Thanks, you look nice too."

The bartender handed me my glass of champagne and I was willing to bet Eric wished he had a shot of tequila in him right about then. I leaned back against the bar to watch the exchange, trying to figure out a way to rescue Eric from the talons Ginger didn't seem to be able to keep away from him for more than a few seconds. The fact that he kept moving away from her didn't seem to bother her one bit.

"Do you want to dance, Eric?" she asked him.

"Actually, Sookie and I were about to go dance. Maybe later?"

Ginger shot me a dirty look and said, "Sure. I might just cut right in on you."

"Good luck with that. Sookie doesn't like being cut off in any capacity."

"It's true. I'm a selfish, selfish girl," I finished my champagne and set the glass on the bar before holding out my hand to Eric. "Ready?"

Ginger folded her arms under her breasts in attempts to make them look more appealing, but Eric wasn't even looking at her. I couldn't understand why she continued to throw herself at him when he had made it pretty clear on more than one occasion that it was never going to happen. There was persistence and then there was stalking. Ginger was a hot mess.

Eric took my hand and led me out to the dance floor where only one or two other couples were dancing since Jason and Pam hadn't had their first dance yet. We probably should have just gone back to our seats at the head table, but Ginger would have just parked herself at Eric's side. I suppose I could just sit in his lap, but that would cause a whole host of problems.

"If you change your mind and decide you want to dance with Ginger, I promise I won't mind," I smiled up at Eric.

"You may not mind, but I would."

I giggled and said, "And you think _I'm_ obsessed with your ass."

I spotted Sam sitting at a table with some of the other guys Jason worked with and I wiggled my fingers at him in greeting, something Eric definitely noticed, and he growled quietly in my ear. There goes that flood alert system again.

"I was just saying hello," I let my hand snake under the jacket he was wearing, and let it settle low on his back.

"I'm getting the sense that nothing you do is innocent anymore."

"That is _so_ not true," I argued as he spun me around so we were dancing with my back to his front. That was going to get interesting. "Are you testing me?"

"Do you think I'm testing you?"

His hands started to snake up my stomach a little and I quickly moved them back down. My hips were acceptable, but my stomach was getting dangerously close to boob territory and if he got his hands on them, it would be game over. "Yes, Eric, I think you're testing me."

We were being watched. I wondered if he somehow managed to forget that. Thankfully, Jason and Pam reappeared and it was time for their first dance. That meant Eric and I had to get off the dance floor. After the first dance there would be the father/daughter dance and the mother/son dance. I knew which songs had been picked for all of them, and therefore I knew how much time we had before we had to be back for the bridal party dance. We had fifteen minutes to work with, give or take.

"Come with me," I grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"Are you dragging me off to take advantage of me?"

I stopped and looked up at him with a little bit of hurt in my eyes. "You know, you have to stop saying that to me. If you don't want to do this-"

"No, I didn't mean it like that! Seriously, from this point on, if I say something about you taking advantage of me, I mean it in the best possible way. I want you to."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I feel bad about... you know and I... I didn't know how you felt. I mean, that night meant something to me too, but not like it did for you. Does that make sense?"

"It's okay, and did you miss the part about me not holding a candle for you? It wasn't like you took my virginity or something."

"Yeah, but you said you felt this way for a while, since Isabel. That's a long time, Eric. I honestly had no idea. If I had known I..." I trailed off and exhaled slowly.

"Ehh four months isn't a really, really long time. I mean, I could have been crying inside in agony and not showering or eating for years. Now that, you could have felt bad about."

"Okay, now who's being dramatic? You didn't do any of those things, did you? I mean, I'm sure you got out your Air Supply and REO Speedwagon records-"

"Quiet with that shit!" he laughed. "No, I didn't really do those things. It was just a feeling I got when I saw you sometimes, and I didn't know what to do about it. It wasn't like this epic unrequited love."

That made me feel a little better, and a little insulted at the same time. I smiled though and tugged on his hand. "Come on, we just lost three minutes and I know you're not a minute man."

"Damn straight."

**oOoOoOo**

We got back just as the rest of the bridal party was being summoned to the dance floor. I'm sure my hair was a little fucked up and I know Eric had a goofy ass grin on his face that he was going to need to get rid of. Thankfully my brother grabbed my hand so I would have to dance with him. Unfortunately for Eric, Ginger claimed him.

"Where were you two?" Jason asked as the music started. Poor Eric looked like an animal caught in a trap, ready to chew is foot off to make his escape.

"I forgot something in my room and Eric walked me back just to make sure I didn't get mugged or something," I waved it off like it was nothing.

"Uh huh," Jason wasn't buying it but he was self-involved enough that he didn't bother digging too deeply.

He started jabbering on and on about... hell, I don't even know. I was too busy trying not to look obvious about constantly looking over at Eric and Ginger. The man was clearly miserable and the second the song ended, he pried Ginger off of him and headed straight for the bar. I kissed Jason's cheek and then followed Eric.

"Well, Cruella got her dance," I snickered as I walked up next to him.

"She tried to grab my dick... twice."

I couldn't help laughing, which only made Eric's brows furrow. I sobered myself and said, "Sorry. I meant to..." Nope, I started laughing again.

"It's so not funny."

"It is a little. She's such a tiny little woman and... Want me to drop kick her into the Pacific?" I offered.

"No, cause she'd crawl out and whine to me about it. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to just fuck her so that maybe she'd stop."

"Mmm, I think she'd get addicted and then you'd have to keep her," I snorted and ordered a cranberry vodka instead of a glass of champagne. Too much champagne would have me throwing up everywhere.

"Not if I told her I gave her a disease or something."

"You think you'd be the first guy to do that?" I lifted and eyebrow and Eric looked disgusted. "Seriously, Ginger isn't usually very discriminating when it comes to her bed partners. Besides, it's really fucking weird that she wants to get in your pants after being in Pam's."

Eric glared at me. I wasn't supposed to bring that up. Ever. Especially not when we were in public. The less he had to think about walking in on Pam and Ginger the better. Frankly, I didn't blame him. I didn't really want to think about that either.

"Let's talk about something other than Ginger, disease, and the fact that she's fucked my sister."

"Deal," I sipped my drink and noticed Sam was approaching. "Uh oh. Your competition is closing in fast."

"Remember my warning, Sookie," he said with heat in his eyes.

"Oh, I remember. After what you did to me in the shower this morning it's pretty hard to forget," I smiled into my drink.

"You remember that while you're dancing with him," he winked.

"Hey Eric," Sam extended his hand to Eric politely. "Hope you don't mind, but I was thinking I might borrow Sookie here if she feels like getting her toes stepped on."

I handed Eric my drink with a grin on my face and said, "Sam, I would _love_ to dance with you. Eric, we can finish our conversation later, yes?"

"You can count on it."

The look he gave me sent chills down my spine. Sam held my hand as we walked to the dance floor and I could feel Eric watching me. With my heels on, I was eye to eye with Sam. His hand settled on the small of my back and I made sure we didn't get too deep into one another's personal space.

"You look really pretty tonight, Sookie," Sam said as we danced.

"Thanks, Sam. I like this color on you," I touched his chest and my eyes flitted over to Eric, who looked like a bull about to charge.

"So um, there's something I want to ask you," Sam said after a minute of silence.

"Ask away," I smiled at him.

"Would you mind taking a walk with me?" Sam stopped dancing.

"Oh, Sam, I uh, I shouldn't really leave the reception. I never know if Pam might need me for something," I said as kindly as I could.

"It would be really quick, I promise," he looked almost desperate.

I looked around, trying to find another way to let him down without flat out telling him we were never going to happen as a couple. I'd known how he felt for a while, but I let it go in the hopes that he would just get over it. Obviously that wasn't going to happen, and now I had Eric standing off to the side just waiting to drag me off the dance floor and remind me I belonged to someone now.

"Sam I can't, I'm sorry," I apologized and then I was being tapped on the shoulder. I smelled Eric's cologne before I saw him.

"Cutting in already, Eric?" Sam looked annoyed by the intrusion.

"Only if you don't mind."

Sam grudgingly let me go and said, "No, I guess not."

"Sorry, Sam, duty calls," I tried to soften the blow. I was going to need to let him down once and for all really soon. This wasn't fair to him. Eric or no Eric, Sam just wasn't the guy for me. Eric walked me off the dance floor and I asked, "Did you need something?"

"I'm a guy, and I know just what he was thinking."

"He asked me to go for a walk with him," I confessed as we walked through the crowd.

"I was right then. He was about to ask you to embrace the feeling of being in a romantic setting and give him a chance. And then he was going to kiss you, no matter what you said to him, because he doesn't know when to give up."

"Why do you think I said no?" I looked up at him. "I'm not into Sam, Eric."

"I know you're not."

He pulled me around behind a large potted plant and kissed me hard. I kissed back for a few seconds and then pulled away, gasping for breath. "We can't do this here." My tone wasn't very convincing.

"I know, I just needed to kiss you," he smiled.

"Feel better now?" I asked as his hands moved up my sides to my boobs. I squirmed a little but he wasn't letting me go that easily.

"Much better."

"Good. Wanna dance?"

"Yes, I do."

I removed one of his hands from my boob and kissed the back of it before we stepped out from behind the plant. We walked back to the dance floor together and fell into step with our friends who were already dancing. The remainder of the evening was a blur of drinks, dancing, pictures and laughter. By the time the party broke up just after midnight, I was buzzed and ready to go back to my room. My shoes had come off a few hours before, and I was carrying them in one hand as I headed for the small staircase that led down to the beach.

Eric was already standing in the sand, also barefoot, talking to Tray. Amelia was nowhere to be seen, which was rare. Ever since she hooked up with Tray, the two of them were practically attached at the hip. I completely surprised Eric by jumping on his back.

"I don't feel like walking back to my room," I said once he caught his balance.

"Then I guess I'll have to carry you," he smiled over his shoulder.

"You two really should just fuck and get it over with," Tray took another puff of his cigar.

If only he knew.

"This guy?" I wrapped my arms around Eric's neck. "Nah, he's not my type. I like 'em tall, _dark _and handsome. Eric doesn't qualify."

"Hey, I'm tall and handsome!"

"They _do_ say two out of three ain't bad," Tray chuckled and I could see Eric grin out of my peripheral vision.

"It's too bad that Sookie's such a stuck up, or I'd have been there already."

"Stuck up, huh?" I slid down his back, dropped my shoes and knew I was about to hit a serious nerve. I reached behind me to unfasten the halter portion of my dress, but Eric stopped me.

"I think you've had a _liiiiitle_ too much to drink, Sook," his hands pulled mine away from the straps of my dress and my mouthed the word _mine_.

"I'm just trying to prove I'm not stuck up," I bent to pick up my shoes and intentionally fell in the sand. "Whoops," I giggled.

"Jesus, how much did you have to drink?" he laughed as he tried to help me back up.

"A thimble," I giggled and saw Sam out of the corner of my eye. "Maybe Sam can walk me back."

Tray burst out laughing and said, "Sook, if he walks you back you'll definitely end up... well, you won't wake up alone. Hell, you might wake up married."

Eric was not amused. He hauled me up off the sand and tossed me over his shoulder in an impressive display of caveman maneuvering. The move left me eye level with his ass. I couldn't help feeling like I'd won, for some reason.

"Eric, I'm gonna hurl if you keep me upside down for too long," I warned.

"Maybe I should carry you this way," he said and moved me quickly to hold me bridal style with much more grace than I thought he was capable of.

I rested my head on his chest and said, "This is nice." I yawned and snuggled against him.

"Yes it is. Plus your boobs look really good from this angle."

I opened my eyes to give Eric a dirty look just in time to see Tray looking over Eric's shoulder and say, "Hell yeah they do."

"Okay, enough boob talk! Home, Jeeves!" I kicked my feet.

"As you wish."

"Night, night, Tray!" I called and waved in his direction when Eric started walking.

"Don't forget to use a condom!" Tray called in response.

When we were a safe distance away I dropped the drunk act and said, "You can put me down now if you want. I can walk just fine on my own."

"See? You're a much better actress than you thought."

"Well I figured this way no one would question it if they find us in the same room in the morning," I grinned at him.

"Smart thinking."

"Thanks. Sneaking around without exactly sneaking."

"This is going to be interesting when we get back to Chicago."

"Probably," I threw my head back and stared up at the stars. "We should fuck on the beach before we leave."

"Hell no. Do you really want sand inside your vagina?"

"Why would that happen? There are chaise lounges, remember?" I turned my head toward a cluster of them.

"I like the way you think," he grinned, and started pulling me toward them.

"Now?" I stopped walking. "There are people still going back to their rooms from the reception."

"Dammit. Later tonight then? Or early in the morning? Sometime soon, cause it sounds really fun."

"I did it at North Avenue beach once," I giggled. He probably didn't want to know that.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "With who?"

"Quinn."

Silence was his only response.

"Are you mad at me? You asked, Eric."

"No, I'm not mad at you. I can't be mad at you for something you did in the past. Especially when you didn't know that there was better out there. I'm just trying to think of ways I can erase that beach sex from your memory with some beach sex of our own."

"Oh." I looked down at my feet.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. That just sounds... I like the sound of that."

"Good. Then we'll make sure it gets done before we have to leave."

"Yes, we will. I think I'm free tomorrow night."

"I think I'm free too."

"Good," I turned and started toward my room again.

"So, uh... got any ideas about what we can do with the rest of our night?"

"Hmmm..." I tapped my chin as Eric fell into step beside me. "There's a pretty Bible I've been meaning to take a look at in my night stand."

"Oh yeah? I hear that's a really shitty book though. I can think of things infinitely more entertaining."

"I'm all ears for other options," I turned and walked backward so Eric and I were face to face.

"I was thinking about things that involved nudity, personally."

"Nudity huh? Hmmm... I guess a shower would be nice. I feel all hot and sticky. But what are _you_ going to do?"

"If you're naked in the shower, then I'm naked in the shower too, probably on my knees..."

"And what would you be doing on your knees?" I grabbed his hand and brought one of his fingers to my lips.

"Worshiping you, obviously. And probably enjoying my favorite thing to eat."

"We don't need to be in the shower for that," I sucked on his finger.

"We don't need to be in the shower for what you're doing either."

I released his finger from my mouth and said, "Of course not. Would you mind getting my room key for me? It's in here," I pointed to the bust of my dress.

"Gladly," he said, licking his lips before he decided to dive in head first.

Eric was nothing if not an overachiever, and dead set on fishing my key out of my dress for me. He took his sweet time finding it, but eventually he presented it to me with a flushed smile on his face.

"I was starting to worry you weren't going to find it," I teased and turned around to unlock the door. He moved my hair out of the way and kissed my neck, working the clasp open on my halter top as he did so. I got the door open and Eric followed me into my room.

"I've never failed a seek and find mission."

"Is that right?" I let the top of my dress fall and turned to face him again. I leaned against the little table behind me.

"Jesus Christ that's a wonderful view."

"You don't have to admire it from all the way over there," I crooked a finger at him.

"I don't plan to," he said, and closed the distance between us with a couple strides.

"Good. Because as I recall, I slow danced with Sam..." I pushed his jacket off his shoulders. "So far you've been all bark and no bite."

"You like the bite then, huh?"

"I don't know. I haven't had it yet," I taunted and yanked his shirt out of his pants.

"Then brace yourself," he warned, and then he picked me up and quite literally tossed me on the bed.

"Was that it?" I moved closer to the center of the bed with a smug look on my face, only for Eric to grab my ankle and pull me closer to the edge again.

"I have one question before we begin."

"Okay," I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip.

"What am I not allowed to rip off of you?"

My breath caught for a few seconds and I watched his eyes get darker. I smiled and said, "Do your worst."

"I'm going to be sad to see this dress go, but I think Sam appreciated it a bit too much as well," he said and climbed on the bed.

"You don't want to know how much," I rolled onto my stomach, giving him a chance to use the zipper if he wanted to.

Apparently he didn't though, because instead of unzipping it, he growled, found a seam, and ripped. The sound of the fabric tearing apart was something I wasn't likely to forget anytime soon. I looked over my shoulder at Eric and shifted my hair out of the way.

"You're pretty good at that."

"I know," he replied, smugly. "I really hope you don't like these pretty panties either."

I shrugged and said, "I'd like them better on my floor."

"Allow me to take care of that for you," he said, and after a couple more ripping noises, I was completely naked in front of him.

"Now what?" I looked over my shoulder again. My thighs were rubbing together and he was definitely watching them.

"Now I show you who you belong to," he practically growled in my ear. Eric got up and pulled me off the bed with him. He stood me so we were face to face and then said, "Get on your knees, Sookie."

I knelt in front of him eagerly and a bit uncertain. Then his zipper was down and he was pulling his cock out through the opening, already very erect. He rubbed the head of his dick against my lips as he stroked his shaft. I watched and enjoyed the feeling of his head against my lips. His other hand went to the back of my head and grabbed a handful of hair, roughly.

"Open your mouth," he said quietly.

I did so without a word and he slid his cock between my parted lips slowly and stopped when he had it mostly inside my mouth. I put my hands on his hips to get a good grip and started sliding my tongue against his cock.

He groaned softly and said, "Keep going, Sookie."

He loosened his grip on my hair, allowing me to be able to move my head back and forth so I could suck his cock. He moaned quietly and played with my hair gently as I worked my tongue and lips over his hard, thick shaft. I twirled my tongue in lazy circles around the head of his cock before taking him back into my mouth until I could feel him in my throat, and then I worked him slowly back out until only his head was left in my mouth. My lips clamped around it, sucking hard on it for a few seconds while my hand stroked his cock. His grip tightened on my hair again, not allowing me to move my head.

"Stop," he said. I waited and watched as he slid his cock into my mouth slowly, then back out, and back in; going so slow I wanted to beg him to do it faster. As soon as I thought that, he picked up the pace, his cock sliding in and out of my mouth faster and a bit rougher.

"You like when I fuck your mouth?"

I groaned and clamped my lips down tighter over his cock as he thrust in and out of my mouth in response. He groaned and kept fucking my mouth for another minute and then again stopped abruptly. He pulled out of my mouth and let go of my hair. His hands were on my arms, pulling me up off the floor. His mouth was on mine, kissing me, and then biting roughly on my lower lip before sucking it into his mouth.

Eric pressed his body against me as he kissed me, his hands on my hips. He broke the kiss then and turned me around to walk me over to that little table near the door. He pushed my shoulders down onto the desk so my ass was still in the air. He was behind me, sliding two fingers into my pussy and fingering me hard. He stopped and pushed his wet fingers into my mouth as he shoved his cock inside me.

He fucked me hard and fast, slamming into me roughly. I was trying to moan quietly and having a hard time keeping the noise down. He stopped, his cock inside my aching pussy and leaned down over me. His hand cupped my jaw as he tilted my head upwards and whispered something to me.

"Be a good girl and keep quiet or I won't make you come. I won't even keep fucking you. I'll make you sit and watch while I jerk off and come on your tits but won't let you touch yourself as you watch me get off. Can you be quiet?"

I whimpered softly but nodded and whispered, "Yes. I'll be quiet."

He let go of my jaw and went back to fucking me roughly, his hands on my hips as he pounded me hard and fast. I covered my mouth with my hand and bit down on my lip to keep from making any loud noises. Part of me totally wanted to be bad and make him stop fucking me so I could watch him get off to me but a bigger part of me didn't want him to stop fucking me so I did my best to stay quiet. I closed my eyes and focused on how great it felt to have his cock slamming in and out of my wet pussy and got lost in the rhythm. He stopped suddenly and pulled out of me. I whimpered and he was leaning over me again.

"We're moving to the bed," he whispered.

I stood up and walked over there with him. He pushed me down so I was lying on my back and he was on top of me again, pushing his cock inside me slowly. I opened my mouth to cry out but managed to stop before I did and it came out as a pathetic whimper instead. He chuckled; slowly withdrawing and then slamming his cock so hard in to me I wanted to scream from the delicious pain. His hand came down over my mouth, clamping down tightly, and then grinned at me as he did it over and over again; pulling out slowly then slamming his cock so hard into me that it hurt.

My back arched as I dug my nails deep into his shoulders and dragged them sharply across his skin over and over, his hand tightly across my mouth keeping me quiet as I struggled to scream until he finally stopped slamming into me so hard. He grinned again and went back to fucking me at a steady rhythm, slow and hard, thrusting deeply until I came harder than I ever had in the past. He groaned as I came and smiled, keeping his hand over my mouth while he continued fucking me. He started thrusting faster and harder, and I watched as his eyes closed and could feel him getting closer.

My pussy was aching as he pounded away at me. He slammed into me hard, his cock deep inside me, and I could feel his hand shaking slightly across my mouth as he came. He removed his hand from my mouth finally and I started sucking in air. He chuckled and laid down over me, kissing my forehead, his cock still inside me. He was breathing hard and I ran my hands over his sweaty abs. I liked having his cock inside me. It was still hard. There was always something so hot about that to me, and I thrust my hips against him gently as I could feel it start to go soft inside me.

He laughed. "You need more?"

"I always want more."

"I do enjoy that about you," he replied, laughing again and rolling us over.

I guess we weren't done yet after all.

* * *

><p><strong>*points* There are fresh undies over there if you need them. These two have epic grabby hands, just warning you of that now. Somehow, I don't think y'all mind that so much. Nor do you mind an Eric that's a little more on the dom side. See? No running from Sookie. She does, however, enjoy teasing him. Expect to see a lot more of that too. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	6. Feels Just Like it Should

**Oh, you again! Well, I'm happy to see most of you were okay with dom!Eric in the last chapter. He won't be like that all the time, but it was what he had promised Sookie, and it was _definitely_ what she was asking for. We'll see more in the future that they're pretty open sexually speaking, and there is plenty of conversation between them to support that fact. It's the benefit of them knowing each other for so long. There are few things that are off limits, or too soon for them to talk about. **

**And to VAlady, I'll see what I can do about the warning you asked for. You won't really need it in this chapter though ;) See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: Feels Just Like it Should<span>**  
><strong>

"_I need a little sexfunk right now. I want you. I'm gonna lick you up and down, feels good. She said it would feel that good and it does." -Jamiroquai_

I woke with Eric's morning wood pressed against my ass and his lips moving from one shoulder blade to the other. There was the little bit of tickle from the scruff that had grown in overnight. I smiled without opening my eyes, and his hand was moving around my hip and down between my legs. I moaned at the feel of his fingers touching me, rubbing and teasing all the right spots. I was a little on the ouchy side after the rough ride I'd taken the night before, but it was the good kind of ouchy.

"How can you even go again?" I asked in a soft voice as Eric's fingers slid inside me. As good as it felt, I didn't know if I had the strength.

"I'm Superman," he whispered in my ear. "Do you think you can go again?"

"I want to, believe me..." I trailed off, partially because I didn't want to turn him down, but also because he found that spot that made the rest of the world disappear.

"But?" he asked.

"I'm a little sore, so just be gentle," I gasped for air.

"We don't have to," he said. "I can just keep doing this if you want."

That certainly had its appeal, but I would end up feeling selfish. "What about you?" I moaned when his palm ground against my clit.

"Well I would hope that you'd appreciate me enough to reciprocate, but if you aren't up to it there's always Rosy and her five sisters in the shower."

"Mmmm..." that was all I could get out. It wasn't very committal, but it was the best I could do.

"Do you want me to keep going?"

"Yes," I breathed out when he nibbled on my neck where it met my shoulder.

Per my request he was slow and gentle with me, and it didn't take long for me to finish. We stayed snuggled up in bed for a little while, but hunger made itself known in the growling of our stomachs. We got up and get in the shower together, which was where Eric got his payback. It was nice, for once, not to be the one pressed up against the tiles. They weren't super cold, but still.

With a palm full of bodywash, I wrapped my hand around his cock and started stroking him. Watching Eric's eyes roll into the back of his head was something I would never get tired of seeing. My back was to the water and since my boobs seemed to have magnets in them, or something, Eric's hands were all over them. I smiled up at him, although I'm not sure he noticed. His eyes were fixed on my chest, watching his fingers as they rolled and plucked my nipples.

"I almost need two hands," I said, and then figured I may as well use them both since the other one wasn't really doing anything.

"God you're good at that," he groaned.

"Would it be bad form to make a years of practice joke here?" I scrunched my nose at him.

"Only if you think it would be bad form for me to tell you why I'm so good at going down on you."

"I thought it was just a natural ability," I winked at him.

"I'd say 60% is natural ability. The rest is practice."

"So no advice from Pam?" I teased.

Yeah, I went there.

"Say my sister's name again and this isn't happening anymore," he glared at me.

"I'm sorry," I twisted my hands a little on the upstroke and he groaned again. I stopped myself from calling her his Voldemort. It was probably better if we didn't talk anyway, and Eric found another way to keep my mouth busy, at least for a little while.

I moved so the water rinsed him off and then dropped to my knees. I looked up into his eyes and said, "I want you to finish in my mouth."

"Fuck," he groaned.

My mouth opened and I took as much of him as I could in it, using my hand on the rest. Damn gag reflex wasn't going to let me go all the way, but Eric didn't seem to mind. It also didn't take long for him to finish after that, and I swallowed everything when he did. He was still breathing hard when I released him from my mouth and stood up again.

"You're fucking amazing," he panted.

I giggled and said, "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

We finished getting cleaned up. Trying to wash his hair for him just wasn't happening in that little shower. I suddenly remembered the size of the shower in his house and my heart skipped a beat. Eric didn't really pamper himself with much, but his bathroom was damn near spa quality. I wondered how he would feel about playing in that enormous tub in there. Hmmm...

Once we were squeaky clean and running out of hot water, we got out of the shower and dried off. He was going to have to go back to his room for a fresh set of clothes. I, meanwhile, went over to the closet and debated over what to wear. Just for the heck of it, I looked over my shoulder at Eric, who was putting on his boxers. I said a mental goodbye to that gorgeous ass of his.

"Dress or shorts?" I asked him, figuring I'd give him a choice.

"Do you have Daisy Dukes?" he asked.

"You mean these?" I lifted a pair of denim shorts that were so short the pocket lining peeked out in the front.

"Yup, those," he grinned. "But is there potential for beach sex today? If there is, you need to wear a dress."

I had to admire his forward thinking. "Maybe later," I smirked, "but not until after sundown."

"Daisy Dukes it is then. Your ass looks phenomenal in those. And your legs."

I blushed a little. Just how much time did he spend admiring me that way? The boobs I knew about, but the ass was news to me. I tossed the shorts on the bed and then started sifting through my shirts. Then I had a flash of brilliance and ditched the shirts in favor of the various bikini tops I had with me. Eric looked like he might have a stroke.

"What?" I asked while I sorted.

"You're going to walk around all day... in those shorts, and a bikini top?"

"Maybe," I shrugged, "we _are _on a beach in Mexico."

"You realize that if you do this, you run the risk of me dragging you off for a quickie, right?"

"I'm sure you can control yourself," I picked up the red top with the sequins on it.

"You're evil. You know that's my favorite color."

Yes, I did know that.

"It's purely coincidental."

"All I'm going to be able to think about all day is burying my face in your red-covered cleavage."

Men. I grabbed a sheer, white off-the-shoulder top.

"So then I'll cover up a little. Problem solved."

"Ugh, but then I won't be able to see them," he whined. He actually whined.

"You might be surprised," I dropped my towel and started tying on the bikini top.

"If there is one perfect pair of boobs out there, you possess them, and I'm the lucky son of a bitch that gets to see them naked."

"Your fondness for my breasts is adorable, Eric," I smiled over at him while I fiddled with the tie around my back. "I hate this damn thing sometimes. Help?"

"Of course," he said. "Can't have them falling out in front of those who are not worthy."

"I'm surprised you haven't offered your hands as personal security guards," I snorted while he tied the straps for me.

"Ahh, but that would probably give us away," he said, and bent to kiss the back of my neck when he finished tying the strings.

"Yeah, probably," I reached for the bikini bottom and tied that on too. Eric watched me get dressed and when I slipped the sheer top over my head, it was still plain as day that I was wearing a bikini under it. "See? They're covered but they aren't gone."

"Genius."

"I'm glad you approve," I bent over and picked up my towel.

"I need you to not bend over in front of me until you're ready to have sex again."

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes. "What if I drop my fork, or something?"

"Then I will take it as an invitation to your vagina."

Was he serious? I waited for a sign that he was joking but when none came, I fell on the bed laughing.

"I'm completely serious. It's addicting."

"You're adorable," I smiled up at him and put my legs straight up in the air.

"And you're a minx."

"Sometimes," I crossed my legs and then lowered them.

"God, I just want to have you once more before we have to go."

"I just got dressed," I turned on my side and my shirt went a little haywire.

"How about if I just do this," he said as he walked over to stand in front of me on the bed. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me until my ass was resting on the edge, and then he knelt down.

"What are you doing?" I asked as his hands traveled up my legs.

"I'm hungry. Just lie back and enjoy."

"Why do I even bother getting dressed?" It was a rhetorical question, but Eric answered it anyway.

"Because you like it when I'm the one undressing you." He unzipped my shorts and tugged them over my hips. "Put your legs back up."

I did as he asked and was surprised when he didn't take my bikini bottom off, just moved the parts that needed moving. He worked quick, I'll give him that, and managed to get his hands under the triangles of my top in the process. See? My boobs had to be magnetized. The things he could do with just his mouth... damn. Why did we wait so long to do this?

"Eric!" I cried out when I was close, but he kept right on going.

My hands landed on top of his and I started to lose control of my legs. They started to lower slowly but his tongue sped up. I gasped for air and my head thrashed back and forth. His hands turned over and he laced his fingers with mine. Bright white light flashed behind my eyes and I exploded from the inside out. My legs dropped, almost on Eric's head, but he let go of my hands to catch them and move them out of the way.

"Oh God," I moaned and tried to get control of myself.

"You can call me Eric."

"Cocky," I muttered, even as I was still shaking a little.

"And with every right," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, which was oddly hot.

"You may have to carry me back to the main building. My legs aren't working right now," I warned him as he put my bikini bottoms back to rights.

"I would gladly carry you anywhere for that reason," he grinned.

"How about you go back to your room, get your fresh clothes and I'll try to get my lower half functioning properly?" I suggested.

"Alright, but know that I'll be thinking of your red-covered chest the whole time I'm gone."

I giggled and said, "I would expect nothing less. Kiss first?"

"Of course," he said, and crawled on top of me just to deliver it.

"I like that you taste like me," I said when he pulled back.

"You can't say things like that right before I leave."

"Yes I can," I smacked his ass, "now get going. I'm hungry."

"You didn't get enough protein in the shower?" he joked as he climbed off of the bed.

"Perv. No, I didn't," I lifted my hips and pulled my shorts back where they belonged. "Besides, a girl needs more than protein if she's going to be satisfied."

"What I just did didn't count?"

"Of course it did, but I'm talking about food, gutterbrain," I rolled onto my side. "Do I have to come with you to help you get dressed?"

"No, I can do it all by myself. Besides, you need to fix your hair before you go out. That last thing we did messed it all up again," he smirked.

"No sex hair at the breakfast table?" I pouted and forced myself up. Eric wasn't kidding. I was dangerously close to having matted hair, and that was unacceptable. I brushed it out and then pulled it up into a knot high on top of my head while he finished getting dressed.

"Not unless you want the girls asking what local you've been banging."

"That could actually be fun," I smirked at the idea. "I could regale them with tales of Carlos, the mysterious cabana boy who visits me in the night and makes me scream in pleasure until I'm hoarse."

"So long as when you're saying 'Carlos' you're really thinking 'Eric.'"

"Who else would I be thinking of?" I lifted an eyebrow. It dawned on me then that Eric was the first guy I'd slept with since Alcide where there wasn't any comparing going on. He was in a class all by himself.

"I don't know, Juan the bartender?"

"Eh. He wasn't that good. Fool tried to jack rabbit me." I shrugged.

"Ha!" he snorted. "I never understood why guys wanted to do that."

"Guys your size should never even try," I shook my head and sat on the edge of the bed to lotion my legs with this shimmery cream I had.

"I never have, and I promise I never will."

"Good. Now please, go get your clothes," I pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going, and I will see you in a little bit."

"Hurry!" I called out after him as he left.

I finished getting myself ready to go and Eric was back within five minutes, dressed in fresh clothes. I tucked my room key and some cash in my pocket. We walked up to the main building together and got a table at the outdoor seating area of the restaurant. A waiter approached us quickly with menus and we looked them over. I had to translate a lot of it for Eric since he didn't speak Spanish and he was obviously frustrated by it.

"What do you want to do after breakfast?" I asked once our orders were placed.

"I haven't gotten to enjoy the water yet, how about that? You could work on your tan, and I could toss you in the ocean when I get sick of seeing you lay there."

"So about three seconds after I strip down?" I snorted.

"Come on, I can last at least ten seconds."

"Mmm I know you have better hang time than that," I winked at him and took a drink of my pineapple juice. "But the water is nice. Not too warm, not too cold."

"Are you drinking pineapple juice?" he asked, his eyes going wide.

"Uh yeah. You were sitting right here when I ordered it," I looked at him strangely.

"Yeah, but it just hit me that you're drinking pineapple juice."

"Ooookay," I took another drink. "Do you want some, or something?"

"If I get some, you have to give me head later."

My eyes went wide. "Is that right?"

"Have you never tasted what pineapple juice does to the love juices? You're going to taste so sweet tonight, and so will I."

"Seriously?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes, seriously. I was told it made my stuff taste like candy."

"Interesting," I handed him my glass.

He grinned and took a long drink. "You want to do it, don't you?"

"I'm curious," I admitted with a shrug and took another drink.

"You won't regret it."

"I hope not," I signaled the waiter and ordered a refill for myself and one for Eric, who just sat there grinning like a fool.

"How can you regret orgasms?"

"Oh, I have," I sat back in my chair. I really didn't want to mention Quinn again if I didn't have to. Eric seemed to have a chemical aversion to my ex.

"You've regretted orgasms?" he asked, looking quite puzzled by the notion.

"Not with you," I assured him with a smile.

"With who? I don't understand how you can regret one."

"Two words: Mister Clean."

"Oh. Him. He's just one big regret, isn't he?"

"I never told you about it since you always looked like you were one 'babe' away from cleaning his clock, but he had a not so nice pet name for me," I crossed my legs.

"What do you mean? What was the name?"

"He called me 'thunder thighs,'" I told Eric with a tight smile.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his whole body going stiff, and his voice filled with anger.

"Yep. Thunder thighs. He thought I could stand to lose a few," I tilted to the side and patted my ass.

"He was a fucking idiot. There is nothing wrong with your body, your thighs, or your ass. If I ever see him again he's getting a fist in his stupid eye."

"He already got one," I snickered.

"Good, but he'll get another from me. How the hell were you with him long enough to fuck him if he acted like that?"

"I thought he would change, I guess," I shrugged, "but now you know why I have orgasms I regret. I left him when I figured out he was an asshole and he wasn't going to change. I kept that part of him from you because... well, partially because I felt like an idiot for staying with him, but also because I didn't want you to do something stupid and get yourself arrested for it. Quinn isn't worth it. He also thought I was fucking you behind his back."

Eric shook his head, and reached across the table to hold my hand. "One, you're not an idiot. Mr. Clean is an idiot for not seeing how lucky he was to have you. Two, why in the fuck did he think you and I were having sex? And most importantly, I'm just flabbergasted that he was even able to give you an orgasm."

"They were mostly self-achieved," I admitted. "Quinn doesn't... he doesn't have much to boast of in the way of stamina."

He snorted and shook his head. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because you hate Quinn," I laughed quietly and took another drink of my juice just as the waiter brought out our meals. "Besides, I think we all need to have a few bad sexual encounters in order to really appreciate the good ones. Like losing your virginity is rarely ever the best you'll ever have. But for me, even _that_ was better than Quinn."

"Wow, he must have been awful if he was worse than losing your virginity. I don't think that's fun for anyone."

"Well, in my case, I loved the guy I was with, so I think that helped," I mixed around my breakfast on my plate.

"You loved him?" he asked, some rare insecurity shining through.

"Alcide was my first," I said quietly and kept my eyes on my plate.

"Oh. Back in high school?"

"Yeah. I was sixteen," I admitted and tentatively looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

"I'm not going to judge you, Sook. I was seventeen when I lost mine, and I sure as shit wasn't in love with her."

"Who was she?" I took a bite of my scrambled eggs.

"Just a girl... I don't really want to talk about it," he said, and took a huge bite of omelet.

Oooh there was definitely a story there if Eric didn't want to talk about it, but I also knew that if he didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't talk about it. I scooped up some of my eggs and salsa and put them into the fresh tortillas that came with my meal. Best breakfast I'd had in a long time.

"Bad experience?" I asked since I couldn't help myself.

"Something like that, and I'm not giving you any details, so no fishing."

"I wasn't fishing," I insisted and took a bite of the breakfast taco I had constructed. "I was just wondering if you fell on the good or bad side, that's all."

"Let's just say I'm much improved, and leave it at that. And you already know you're the best I've ever had, so... there you have it."

Dude was tense. I set down my taco, leaned over the table and kissed him.

"Likewise," I said against his lips.

"And I look forward to getting even better with you."

"Practice is good," I sank back into my seat. "Wanna try my taco?"

He snorted into his pineapple juice, and laughed. "I think I already did that a couple times today."

I giggled while I chewed. "Just checking," I passed him a napkin, "your chin's all juicy."

"It's been that way a lot lately," he smirked as he wiped it with the napkin.

"Poor thing. We'll have to do something about that."

"Not sure I want to do anything about it. I like getting it that way."

"Lucky for me," I drank more of my juice. "If what you said about this stuff is true, I'll have to pick some up when I get home."

"Just you wait until tonight. You'll never turn back."

"We'll see," I smiled and took another bite of my taco.

We finished eating a little while later and started back toward our rooms so Eric could get his trunks and I could get my beach bag. We met up on the beach and had just picked a couple of chaise lounges when Tara and JB appeared. Eric and I exchanged a look. Playtime was over, for the time being.

"There you are! I've been looking for you," Tara said as she approached.

"I've been around. I had a little too much to drink again last night so Eric brought me back to my room. We got a bit of a late start this morning," I explained to her, seeing no reason to lie about Eric spending the night with me. It wouldn't the first time there was an alcohol induced sleepover.

"We're thinking about taking one of those shark tour things. Do you want to come along?" Tara offered.

I looked to Eric but kept quiet. I was going to let him take this one.

"Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen me try to watch _Jaws_? I have a highly irrational fear of sharks. I'm not going near any," Eric said in an almost petulant tone.

"Well they aren't getting in the boat with us," Tara rolled her eyes.

"I have to pass, sweetie. My stomach is still a little iffy after last night," I rested my hand on it. "I'm just planning on laying here and getting darker."

"You two are no fun. Come on, JB," Tara walked off in a huff. JB looked at us apologetically but followed his wife.

"Okay, usually the hormones are amusing, but they aren't usually aimed at me," I said as I pulled off the sheer top and dropped it on my chair.

"I know you just said something I should be replying to, but then you took off the cover," he said, blatantly staring at my chest.

"So that's what I need to do to get you to agree to pretty much anything I want. Good to know," I smirked and took off my shorts, too.

"That helps as well."

Eric retaliated by pulling his own shirt off and I'm pretty sure I drooled a little. I grabbed my suntan lotion out of my beach bag and flipped the cap open so I could slather some on, but Eric grabbed the bottle from me.

"Excuse me, I need that," I reached for it.

"I can't help you put it on?"

"Sure. As long as you realize that doesn't mean the suit comes off in the process," I stretched out on my stomach on my chair.

"Like I want anyone else seeing my goodies," he scoffed.

"_Your_ goodies?" I asked over my shoulder, and squeaked when the cold lotion hit my back.

"Yes, _my_ goodies."

His thumbs pressed along my spine, releasing whatever tension might have been there. I moaned a little too loudly and he stopped moving. "What's wrong?" I looked back at him again.

"I'm going to be sporting something very inappropriate in a minute if you do that again."

"You wanted to help," I rested my head on the chaise again.

"Fine then, moan all you want and I'll just have to lie next to you until the swelling goes down."

He resumed rubbing, but got a little naughty when he got to my thighs. "What are you doing?" I gasped when his fingers brushed against an area that definitely didn't need sunscreen.

"If you're doing it to me, then I'm doing it to you."

"When did I touch your cock?" I lifted my head again.

"Good point. But still, my arousal is a bit more visible than yours."

I snorted and said, "Blame Mother Nature for that one. I was just lying here, enjoying my rub down." But then I turned over so I was face up. "Should I do my front myself?"

"It might be much safer if you do."

"Want me to do your back for you?" I offered and sat up.

"Yes, please."

"Sit," I patted my chair and Eric sat down. I knelt behind him and squeezed some of the lotion onto my hands to warm it a little before rubbing it on him. I started at his shoulders and worked my way down, occasionally grazing something other than my hands against his skin.

"Mmm, those feel nice," he purred.

"I'm assuming you don't mean my hands," I rolled my eyes.

"You're assuming right, but your hands feel nice too."

I finished rubbing the lotion on his back and then lay down on the chair. I put my arms up over my head and grabbed the top of the chair. My knees bent so they would tan evenly as well. I tilted my face up and closed my eyes. By my estimation I was only laying there for about twenty minutes when Eric started getting fidgety.

"What's with you?" I didn't even bother opening my eyes.

"I'm horny."

"What else is new?" my head rolled to the side. "What do you want me to do about it, Eric?"

"Not much you can do at the moment. Still too early for beach sex," he winked at me.

"I hate to rain on your parade, sugar, but that might not happen," I warned him.

"Why not?"

"Well I'm still sore and I heard something on the radio about rain tonight."

"I'd still fuck in the rain, but is there any chance you won't be sore before we have to leave?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm going to have to remember to be more gentle with you in the future."

"Last night was fun," I smiled over at him. "I just wasn't... I haven't had this much sex in a while."

"You'll get used to it, I hope. I'm kind of a horn-dog."

"I noticed."

I got up and started walking toward the water, hoping to get Eric to settle down a little bit. What I wasn't expecting was for him to make good on his word and pick me up from behind, only to hurl me into the ocean.

"Eric!" I shouted when I came up sputtering and laughing.

"I warned you!"

"You'll pay for that!" I jumped on him, knocking him back into the water.

We were wrestling around, play fighting in the water when I heard my mother calling me from the shore. Eric and I stopped fighting and I looked over to see her waving in our direction.

"Shit," I muttered and stood up. "I'll be right back."

I hoped that was true, but with Mom, there were never any guarantees. I walked to the beach and was surprised Dad wasn't with her.

"Where's Dad?" I asked as I wrung my hair out.

"Oh, who knows," she waved off my question. "Listen, I hope you don't have any plans. I want us to have dinner together later. Bring Eric, if you like."

Shit, shit, shit. Would I be the world's worst daughter if I lied to my mother so I could spend the night with my… hell, I didn't even know what to call Eric. Lover, maybe? Jesus.

"If you already have plans…" Mom trailed off, but looked a little sad.

"No, no plans. I'll see if Eric's free, but if not, I'm all yours," I promised her.

"Good. I'll meet you at the restaurant at seven," Mom kissed my cheek and then went on her way to wherever she was going.

I turned and frowned in Eric's direction. I wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to him, but I knew he would understand. I sighed and headed into the water to inform him of the change of plans.

* * *

><p><strong>You know, it's a bit of a departure from what we usually see in fic for Eric and Sookie to be good friends for years before they decide to take the next step. It was fun for us to be able to navigate all this history they have with each other and still find little surprises to sneak in. Obviously, Sookie's past relationship with Quinn is something Eric was aware of, but she hid certain aspects of it from Eric. I tend to think it was because even though she knew Quinn was an asshole, the things he said to her really did start to mess with her head a little. Quinn was the kind of verballyemotionally abusive guy who thought he was kidding all the time and didn't see that he was legit hurting Sookie's feelings. Since he said it with humor, to him it wasn't abusive. He was wrong, of course, but that's part of what made that relationship go down the crapper. And yes, Sookie broke up with him.**

**Of course Eric and Sookie will interact with other people in their lives, but we decided to focus the story on them and not what's happening with the supporting players, so the bulk of what you'll be reading is scenes that include the two of them together. Hope no one minds that. Something tells me you won't. Finally, Scribeninja is stalking the shit out of the reviews for this story, so if you've got an Eric related thought or question you want to ask don't be afraid to put it in the review or shoot her a PM about it. Thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	7. The Real World

**Well hello there! Can I just say that Scribe and I love how curious y'all are over who Eric's first is and how he lost his virginity? Before we started writing Scribe and I wrote character bios for our respective character. When I got the Eric bio from Scribe it said, "Most Embarrassing Moment: **It happened when he lost his virginity but he doesn't wish to talk about it -_-**" I fell out laughing at that, and when I pressed Scribe for more details she refused to tell me. Can you believe that shit? Actually, it turned out for the best, and I _did_ eventually hear that story, as will you, but it won't be until much later on. But I assure that we will find out how, and with whom, it happened. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7: The Real World<span>**  
><strong>

"_Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here? If I were someone else, would this all fall apart?" –Matchbox 20_

The flight back to Chicago was delayed on account of the weather. The second I stepped off the plane I missed Mexico. Eric and I had flown back on different airlines at different times. His plane had departed earlier than mine so I assumed he was already home. I turned my phone on to check my messages and there was a text from him, letting me know he had arrived fine and would call me later. I considered calling him to let him know I'd landed, but figured he was probably busy at the bar going over everything he'd missed in the last couple of days.

I got a cab outside the arrivals terminal, and headed for home. I hadn't realized how much I missed my own house until we pulled into the driveway. My neighbor, Missy, had been kind enough to get my mail and look in on Sully, my beagle/terrier mix, while I was gone. I owed her big time for that since it had saved me a small fortune in kenneling him for a week. Of course the second I walked into my condo I was nearly bowled over by my dog.

"Whoa, get down, Sully," I said but it was pointless.

Sully got excited whenever I had company over, and he was there every day to greet me when I got home from work. No doubt after me being gone for five days, he was going to demand most of my free time. I owed him for leaving him alone. He liked Missy well enough, but it wasn't the same, and I was sure he was pretty lonely most of the time I was gone. Poor guy.

I set down my bags, locked the door behind me and then got down on the floor to give him all the pets and scratches he'd missed in the last few days. Sully slobbered all over me, obviously thrilled to have me home. We played for a little while before I had to get up and start unpacking. I needed to do laundry, sort through my mail and probably do some grocery shopping since I had tried to empty out the stuff that would spoil while I was gone. I knew I needed milk, bread and eggs.

Sully followed me around my condo, watching me carefully as I put my clothes into the wash. I got down one of the bones I had been stashing away for him, and he gladly took it from me when I handed it over. I started sorting through the souvenirs I'd brought back. I had a few things for Missy, whom I'm promised a bottle of tequila. My boss, Elle, was getting a goofy sombrero with some of those pom tassels hanging off of it. She was just crazy enough to wear it around the office, or make a member of her staff wear it when we got on her nerves. Elle was an interesting woman to work for, let me tell you.

Once I had everything sorted out and my laundry in the drier, I hopped in the shower. I needed to get the plane smell off of me. It felt good to be back in my own house with the iPod blaring and water pouring down over me that I could drink if I was so inclined. Hell, just because I could, I opened my mouth and swished some of the water around before spitting it out. I was busy screeching along to the Alice in Chains song that was playing and didn't hear it when the sliding glass door on the shower opened behind me, so it was a real shock when a pair of hands grabbed me from behind.

I screamed and nearly fell on my ass, but I managed to knock Eric against the wall in the process. I whipped around and yelled at him. "You scared the hell out of me! Way to warn me, jerk!" I slapped at his chest.

"Sorry," he laughed. "At least I succeeded at surprising you."

"Not funny," I pouted and pulled away from him when he reached out for me. My heart felt like it was going to explode, and not in the good way.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he said, and pulled me into a hug whether I liked it or not. "Your heart is racing. I didn't mean to scare you."

I took a few deep breaths and said, "It's okay. I might have you fitted for a bell, though, if you plan on doing this a lot."

"No, I won't scare you like that again. But I will say it was worth it to hear your shower singing."

"I would be _very_ careful teasing me about that if I was you," I smirked. He wasn't the only one who could be smug.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I just kept quiet, unwilling to spill the beans too soon. Besides, I knew Eric well enough to know that he would keep pestering me about it if it bothered him enough. He got a little annoyed sometimes when I knew things he didn't. It was actually kind of adorable how in the loop he wanted to be.

"And I'm firing Sully for being such a shitty alarm system." I turned around in his arms.

"He's a great alarm system. He was growling until he saw it was me."

"Yeah, and then he was jumping all over you like you were a long lost buddy. I need to train him better, I think," I teased and reached for my bottle of shampoo.

"I am not the enemy. If you wanted to train him to think Mr. Clean is evil though, that I would be down with."

"Sully bit Quinn the first time he came over. Ever since then Quinn kept his distance," I recalled with a smile. "I guess I should have known then that Quinn was bad news. Sully loves everybody."

"Yeah, that should have been your first clue, but you wouldn't be you if you didn't give a relationship a chance. You're always looking for the one."

"It's one of my fatal flaws," I sighed and lathered up my hair. "How was your flight? I'm shocked you're not at the bar."

"Flight was good. This flight attendant kept flirting with me and bringing me extra peanuts. And I already stopped by the bar. I had a lot of stuff to sign, but it seems I've hired a staff that can handle things, which is actually a really big relief."

"Well good. I'm glad the place didn't burn down without you there. You work too hard," I told him and then rinsed my hair.

"You're just not a jealous person are you?" he asked.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Well you shouldn't be, but I thought I'd get some kind of reaction from the flight attendant thing."

"Want me to track that bitch down and kick her?" I offered.

"No, but watching you wrestle her would be interesting. Though I think her boobs were fake, so all you'd have to do is take your top off and you'd win in my eyes."

"But my top is already off," I smiled up at him.

"Which is why you're about to win big right now," he winked.

"Oh yeah? What's my prize?"

"That depends on what you're up to. I'm down for sex, or just going down."

"I get to pick my prize?" my eyes lit up a little. The question then became whether or not to mess with him since he hadn't got his beach sex the night before like he wanted. Oh well. Another time.

"Yes you do, so choose wisely."

"Hmmm... this is a hard decision," I poured conditioner into my hand and started to rub that into my hair. "So many yummy options to choose from..."

"Your time is running out..."

"Impatient much?" I snorted and then said, "Okay, I know what I want."

"Lay it on me."

"All I want is just a kiss, but a really good one," I smiled up at him.

"What?" He looked like I'd just told him his puppy died.

"You said I got to pick, and that's what I want. Now gimme."

"A deal is a deal," he said. His fingers threaded into my hair, and his lips pressed against mine with bruising strength. I said I wanted a good kiss, and a good kiss is what I was getting.

"Yummy," I purred against his lips when he pulled back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So, not that I'm disappointed you're here, but what are you doing here? Other than creeping on me in the shower."

"Booty call?"

I couldn't stop the giggles as I shook my head. "Well, at least you're honest."

"I was kidding," he smiled. "Well, not totally. I'm not opposed to a booty call, but I really came over so we could talk, and so I could ask you out on a proper date."

"While I was in the shower? That's a new one."

"I didn't know you'd be in the shower. I was just being advantageous."

I rinsed off and reached behind me to turn the water off. Eric opened the shower door and handed me my towel. "Wait here. I'll go get you a towel," I popped up to kiss his chin and then went to get him a towel from the linen closet in the hallway.

Eric was standing in the same spot when I got back to the bathroom and I handed the towel over to him. While he dried off I loaded my toothbrush and brushed my teeth. I was starting to feel more and more like me with every minute that passed.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked while I went through my closet, trying to decide what to wear.

"Well my first question was going to be whether or not the magic stayed in Mexico, but I still want to bang you, so I say it's still there."

I stuck my head out of the closet and said, "Seriously?"

"Joking. More seriously though, I was hoping you could tell me if you're still in this. I've been kind of worried about it."

"Honestly?" I peeked around again and pulled a t-shirt over my head. "At first I thought maybe this was just something that would sort of burn itself out. We'd fuck a couple of times and then get bored and realize that it was just a sex thing, and we'd go back to being just friends because it's the safer, saner option."

I grabbed a pair of yoga pants and pulled them on. I started to towel dry my hair as I walked out of the closet, and sat on the edge of my bed. Eric was watching me with expectant eyes, waiting for the rest of what I had to say.

"But I think it's pretty safe to say that there's no going back now. It's weird, you know? I've spent so much time chasing after 'the one' and being so serious about relationships and now I just kind of want to let things flow and see where they end up," I told him.

"So you're sure? You're not going to change your mind in a week and back out?"

"Eric, the only way I'm going to back out is if this isn't working. Right now, it's working."

"Good," he said, seeming relieved. "So we can date?"

I laughed quietly and said, "Yeah, we can date. Although I don't know if there's much point to it. I've known you for ten years."

"There's a point to it. It's like foreplay. And it'll allow us to spend more time together that isn't just having sex so that in a month you can't say that it's just sex."

"Good point," I got up and grabbed my hairbrush off the dresser to start detangling my hair.

"So what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"You, probably," I winked at him.

"Most likely," he grinned. "But would you like to go out to dinner before that happens?"

"Sure," I smiled at him in the mirror while I got my hair situated.

"Great. And what about tonight? Want to order some pizza and stay in?"

"Actually, I have some errands I have to run," I set my brush down and turned to face him.

"As do I, but it's not really supper time yet."

"Pizza sounds good."

"Alright. Then I will take my leave, we'll both do what we need to do, and I'll be back around... seven? Sound good? I'll bring the pizza."

"That works. No mushrooms," I reminded him. Allergies are a bitch like that.

"I remember," he smiled.

"Good. Then I'll see you around seven."

"Good. Do I get a kiss before I go?" he asked.

I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "That'll have to do until later."

"You really know how to keep the anticipation alive," he said, and finally started getting dressed. He had probably hoped that being half naked was going to get him somewhere.

"You should know that I don't sleep with guys on the first date," I warned, just so see the expression on his face.

"Then we should just consider tonight our first date."

"That's up to you. I was just telling you that so you would be prepared."

"You do know that I'm okay with waiting to have sex, right? Even if you decide you want to wait weeks, I'm okay with it."

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled softly, and saw a glimmer of panic in his eyes. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Alright, I'll get out of here so we can get our stuff done," he stooped to give me a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you later."

"I'll be here," I promised and heard him say goodbye to Sully on his way out the door.

**oOoOoOo**

Missy wasn't home when I went across the hall to give her the souvenirs, so I left them at home to give to her another time. I did leave a note on her door, however, to let her know that I was home so she didn't need to worry about Sully anymore. After that I climbed behind the wheel of my car, and did the shopping I needed to do. A quick stop for groceries and another at Target to pick up a few other essentials, and I was heading back home.

Just like before, Sully was waiting for me, his tail wagging with excitement. I put away the groceries and other things I'd bought. When all was said and done, it was 6:30. I debated over whether or not I should change clothes. I figured Eric wasn't going to care one way or the other, but I did. I went back to my closet, found my favorite pair of dark washed jeans and a scarlet sweater with a v-neckline.

I let my hair out of the bun it had been in, and it tumbled down my back in waves that I would just let air dry. Since I was tanner than when I'd left, I decided not to bother too much with makeup either, and just put on a little mascara and some lip stain. I had just finished brushing my teeth again when the buzzer rang. It was weird to hear it since pretty much anyone who ever came over had a key.

I took a few deep breaths, not sure why I was suddenly nervous, and went to the buzzer to let him in. I opened the door of my condo and peeked to the main door to see Eric standing there with a pizza box in his hand. It seemed I wasn't the only one who had changed clothes. That made me feel better, for some reason, and I buzzed him in.

"You're early," I stepped back to let him in while Sully sniffed him out.

"I was done with my stuff and couldn't wait to see you."

"I'm glad you're here," I closed the door behind him as he walked to the kitchen. "I grabbed a couple of movies while I was out."

"What did you pick?"

"Grease, West Side Story, Hairspray..."

"In the mood for a musical or something?" he asked.

"I thought it would be a little something different," I shrugged as I got down plates. "But I also got a really cool Hitchcock box set for Christmas if that's more your flavor."

"Let's go with the Hitchcock," he said.

Yeah I thought so. Taunting him about this musicals thing was going to be kind of fun.

"Works for me. I've got Vertigo, Rear Window, the Birds, Notorious, North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder and Psycho. You pick."

While he thought it over I got down glasses and offered him something to drink. I went for my usual diet Coke while Eric just wanted water. Once our plates were loaded with pizza, we went to the living room and I found the set my parents had given me for Christmas so Eric could make his choice.

"So, what's it going to be?" I asked after handing it over to him.

"Notorious."

"Have you seen this before?" I grinned like it was Christmas morning. It was one of my favorite movies, and it brought two of my favorite actors together.

"I haven't, but I know you've mentioned it before. I've seen almost all the others too, so it seems logical."

"Oh you _never_ need a reason to watch this," I bounced over to the DVD player and popped the disc in the tray. "You'll love Devlin. He's got just the right amount of dryness and sarcasm in his sense of humor."

"So this means I'll have to actually pay attention to the movie rather than making out with you, right?"

"Eric, it's a DVD. We can always watch it again."

"I knew you were my friend for a reason," he grinned.

"Because I'm not opposed to making out during a movie?"

"Yup."

"You're a goof," I plopped down on the couch with the remote in my hand, and started the movie.

I set the remote down on the coffee table and picked up my pizza instead. We ate quietly for a little while, both of us either engrossed in our food or the movie. I set my plate on the coffee table when I was finished eating, while Eric went back for seconds. I tried to figure out what his reaction was to the movie, but it was hard to say. He was super critical when it came to films, sort of like how I was with music, I suppose.

He laughed at all the appropriate parts and tried not to pay any attention to all the swooning I was doing over Cary Grant. I'm sorry, but that man's voice? So long, panties, thanks for hanging in there as long as you did. I loved Cary Grant's voice and I wasn't all that shy about it. Eric would just have to get over it.

We got as far as Alicia and Devlin being caught together at the party by her husband, when Eric finally made his move. He waited longer than I thought he would, if I was being perfectly honest. It started simply with that basic teenage boy move of trying to discreetly put his arm around me. I bit back the smile that wanted to break out on my face. I knew more was coming, and a few minutes later he was moving my hair away from my neck. I felt his nose brush against it, and heard him breathing me in.

"I'm trying to watch the movie," I whispered and felt Eric smile against my skin.

"I'm not trying to stop you," he whispered back and nibbled my ear.

Oh God.

His hand came up and cradled the other side of my neck, tilting my head just a little so he would have better access to it. He knew exactly what he was doing, and the soft, slightly wet kisses he was pressing on me felt like they were landing somewhere way farther south. I'd had my neck kissed before, but not like this. Eric was kissing me like he meant it, like he would be perfectly content to stay there all night just tasting my skin. He managed to find that perfect balance of gentle, but passionate, and it was rocking my world.

His hand didn't go any lower than my collarbone, and even then his fingertips only grazed over it. His touch was light, just enough to wake up the nerve endings there and let them know they were part of the party. It made my arms break out in goose bumps and my heart skip a beat. His lips, however, didn't remain quite so stationary and when his fingertips tilted my face to his I couldn't help but kiss him back.

I grabbed onto the sweater he was wearing and pulled him closer until he was practically on top of me, which actually would have been awesome if we were lying down. He was such a good kisser, and it was my opinion that kissing was way underrated. It was easy, after having sex with someone, to forget how sexy it could be to just kiss for a really long time. I had meant what I said about not sexing someone on the first date, but Eric was an exception.

We had known each other for so long that really, this whole date thing was just a formality. The jitters I had earlier weren't about whether or not he would like me, but about whether or not our friendship could successfully transition into a romantic relationship. Obviously the sex was good since we couldn't keep our hands off each other. We hadn't been apart for twelve hours and Eric was already letting himself into my condo looking for more. That was something we were going to have to talk about.

I suspected we were going to be spending much more time together than we had in the past, which was hard to believe, but there still had to be boundaries. Especially if we were going to try and keep this quiet, we were going to have to be careful. My garage, for instance, was a one car garage, which meant if he decided to spend the night he was going to have to park in my driveway. Either that, or I was going to have to stay at his place where the garage was bigger.

"Where did you go?" he pulled back and looked into my eyes with confusion in his.

"I was just thinking-"

"No thinking. Kiss now. Think later," he instructed and reclaimed my lips.

He wasn't going to get away with distracting me with kisses forever, but at the moment I was willing to let myself get lost in it. Eventually his hand did end up on my chest, but it stayed over my sweater. There were no attempts to slip his hand under it, which surprised the hell out of me. For someone who was ravaging my mouth, Eric was being rather gentlemanly, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. He had made an excellent point earlier, and maybe without intending to suggest it, I thought maybe slowing down a little was a good idea.

If, in a month, I realized all we had was sex, he was absolutely right when he assumed I would breakup with him. Sex was great and all, but there was so much more that went into a long-term relationship than just orgasms. He wasn't wrong when he said that I was always looking for 'the one,' and that meant I was looking for the person who had the whole package. I wanted someone I could laugh with, be myself with, feel a connection to...

I stopped kissing Eric suddenly and bolted off the couch.

"Whoa, what happened? Did I do something wrong?" Eric looked confused and a little scared.

"No, it's not you," I said, and immediately realized how overused that line was.

"Where have I heard that line before?" Eric looked nervous.

"No, I swear..." I ran my fingers through my hair and then returned to the couch and knelt down in front of him. "Eric, listen... I'm having a really good time with you. You're a great kisser and we have a lot of fun together."

"So then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that this feels too easy."

Eric chuckled softly and said, "You're complaining because there isn't enough drama?"

"No, not that...I just didn't expect to feel like this."

"Neither did I, but here we are."

"You are being freakishly calm about this. Where is the guy who freaks out over relationships and the possibility of commitment? What happened to that guy?"

Eric leaned forward and cupped my face in his hand. "This snuck up on me too, Sook. I didn't see this coming either, but I'm not sorry I'm here with you. I'm not afraid of putting in the effort."

A thousand what-ifs ran through my mind, but those were pointless. Anything could happen, but I couldn't base my life on those possibilities. We could end up being together for sixty years, or I could slip on my driveway tomorrow and crack my skull open. There was no way of knowing how the chips were going to fall.

"If you want to back out, now's the time," Eric looked deep into my eyes.

"No, I don't want to back out. It's just going to take some time to get used to the new us, I guess."

"Us. I like that," he smiled at me. I smiled back and he pulled me up into his lap.

I had just leaned in to kiss him when Sully started to whimper at the door. He needed to go out. I smirked at the idea of Eric being cockblocked by my dog. "Alright, Sully, hang on. I have to take him out."

"I'll come with you," Eric got up and followed me to the door.

I leashed Sully while Eric got our coats from the hook and held mine out for me. He was racking up points right and left. I might have to reconsider that no sex rule. It was way too fucking cold outside for my liking. I really missed Mexico.

"Sully, come on! Do your business so we can go back inside," I pleaded with my dog, who seemed to want to sniff and mark every freakin' snow bank he could.

"It's a man thing, you can't rush it," Eric said.

"Gah!" I argued, which made Eric laugh. "I swear to God, I sometimes consider moving way far from here. It's too damn cold for me."

"But if you moved away from here, I'd be very, very sad."

"You mean phone sex and seeing my boobs via Skype wouldn't cut it?"

"That would only cut it if we had to be apart for a short while. I couldn't do a permanent long-distance thing."

"Me either. I tried that once back in college and it didn't work. I realized I'm a little too hands-on for that," I admitted and let Sully pull me along a little. "But when it's this cold, you can't tell me that moving to, say, Texas, doesn't have its appeal."

"I like the cold though. And it's awesome here in the summer when it's not, you know, sweltering. But even then... I get to look forward to you wearing lots of dresses."

"You know, I take that back. There is _one_ good thing about winter."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Snuggies," I said with a straight face.

"Bull. Shit. You fucking hate snuggies!"

He had me there. I thought they were a retarded invention, and so did he.

"I wish I had a fireplace. That's the only thing missing from my condo."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you now have a boyfriend who had a fireplace. You could come over and we could have sex in front of it if you want," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I heard the second half of what he said, but it was the use of the word 'boyfriend' that really got my attention. I wondered if he even realized he used it. Usually that particular word sent him screaming in the other direction. I decided I would let it slide and see if he said it again.

"Maybe," I shrugged and damn near did a happy dance when Sully did his business. My hands were starting to get numb, and that was with my mittens on.

I handed over Sully's leash and bent to pick up the mess he'd left behind. I had another neighbor with a dog who didn't seem to think picking up the piles was necessary, but I thought it was just plain gross to leave them. Who wants to step in dog shit? No one. I tied the bag and we started back toward the condo. Even Sully seemed to be ready to go back inside.

"So how many girls have you sexed in front of your fireplace?" I asked as we got to the door.

"None, actually."

"Seriously?" I opened the door and dropped Sully's leash. He went straight to the condo door and sat while Eric followed me to the garage where I always put the doody bags.

"Yup. I never really take girls to my house. In fact, only two have ever made it there, and one only went once. She and I did it on my old couch. Isabel was the other, and she was kind of boring in the sack. Only wanted it in the bed, and usually just two positions."

Wow. That was more than I wanted to know, but I couldn't unhear it.

"Oh," I said since I didn't know what else to say.

"Shit, did I say too much?"

"I'm just not used to hearing about that part of your life yet," I explained. "But I'm glad you told me."

"You sure? I can not talk about it if you want. God knows I don't like hearing about you with Quinn."

"Hell, _I _don't like thinking about being with Quinn," I snorted and Eric smiled a little. "The past is the past, and obviously we both have one. I'll tell you anything you want to know, and you can always stop me if I say too much. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes it does. And the same goes for you. You can ask me anything," he said, and opened his mouth like he wanted to ask something, but shut it again.

"What?"

"Just... do you.. do you think I'm a whore?"

"Why in the world would I think that?" I asked as we walked back to the condo where Sully was still waiting for us.

"Just... from comments you've made. Like asking how many women I've sexed in front of my fireplace. I just get the feeling that you think I'm some kind of loose guy."

It took all the restraint I had not to laugh at his terminology, but I got the feeling it would be the way wrong time for that. I pulled off my coat and mittens, and then kicked off my boots. I unleashed Sully and then said, "I wouldn't say that I think you're a whore. It's just that I see you at the bar and the way you are with girls. Since you don't really have much of a track record for committing, I assume that you've had a few casual relationships in your life. If that's a wrong assumption, I apologize, but either way I wouldn't judge you for it."

"Okay," he said simply, like that was all he needed to know, and he didn't offer any clarification as to whether he really was a "loose" guy or not. "And just so you know, it goes both ways. No judgment from me either."

"Is that your way of asking how many guys I've had sex with?" I plopped down on the couch again and Sully hopped up alongside me and put his head in my lap.

"No, I really don't care how many. The only thing I care about when it comes to your sexual history is if you're clean, and you are, so I don't really need to know anything else."

"Okay," I scratched Sully's head between his ears. "You know if you scratch his belly you'll have a friend for life. He won't even mind if you take his place on my bed."

Eric sat down on the couch on the other side of Sully and reached out to scratch his belly. "He better not mind," he said. "Sook?"

"Yeah?" I didn't look up from the dog. I was too busy making faces at him like I would a newborn. I probably looked ridiculous, but I didn't care.

"At the bar, I flirt with girls because it keeps them coming back. I'm not an idiot, and I know I look good, and if giving them a little attention keeps business going, I'll do it. I know you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I've been with twenty-five women in my life, you being number twenty-five. I don't really sleep around, and even though I don't really do the relationship thing, it doesn't mean I'm not committed to seeing what comes from me and you."

I smiled warmly at Eric and said, "I get the flirting thing, Eric. It's the nature of the beast. I don't expect you to stop doing that, by the way. I know that it's good for business. As long as it stays in the bar, it's fine. As for your magic number, thank you for telling me, even though you didn't have to." I leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I'm not a cheater either," he confessed. "And I won't do any flirting in front of you. It feels wrong."

"I know you're not a cheater. I would have heard about it, or witnessed it myself by now if that was the case. And hey, flirting in front of me might get you dragged off like me slow dancing with Sam. Sometimes a girl needs to mark her territory," I winked at him.

"Now that I would love. I'm glad my office door has a lock on it. I've never had sex in there either."

"I hope Pam doesn't have a key for it," I snorted, knowing full well that Pam wouldn't hesitate to let herself in if she wanted to.

In spite of myself, I yawned. It had been a long day with all the traveling, and when I combined that with the general lack of sleep over the last few nights thanks to Eric, I was exhausted. It wasn't even eleven yet and I was ready to pass out.

"Want me to go home so you can get some rest?" Eric asked.

"I don't know. On one hand, I think I should kick you out. On the other, I'm seriously considering letting you snuggle me to sleep since you can lock up when you go," I admitted.

"Well I did get to nap when I got home, so I'm down with the snuggling if you really, really want it," he offered.

"You know it surprises me that you're so into snuggling," I yawned again.

"Why?"

"Because it's such a boyfriend thing to do," I shrugged.

"Aren't I a boyfriend now?"

"You tell me," I wasn't going to pressure him into a label that I knew freaked him out.

"The idea of being your boyfriend doesn't freak me out, Sookie. As long as you're cool with the labels, I'd like to be your boyfriend, and I'd like to call you my girlfriend. Just... don't ask me to marry you or anything. I know I'm awesome, but that's too much, too fast."

At that I laughed because he was just... he was perfect right then. "Guess I better put the ring away for later then," I snapped my fingers with disappointment. Sully jerked his head up and gave me the stink eye for waking him. "Sorry, Sull, my _boyfriend_ was being silly."

Eric grinned at me, then stood up and took my hand. "He needs to get up anyway, because I have a girlfriend to snuggle to sleep."

"Come on, Sully, Boyfriend says it's bedtime," I moved out from under the dog and followed Eric back to my bedroom.

I went to the bathroom to change into my pajamas, wash my face and brush my hair out. When I got back to my bedroom, Eric was stretched out on my bed with the blanket pulled back so all I had to do was climb in next to him. It was weird seeing Eric in my bed and I told him so.

"Well you better get used to it, because I plan to be in it frequently and often wearing much less than this."

"I'm going to have to get used to sleeping naked again, aren't I?" I giggled as he pulled me closer to him.

"Yes, yes you are."

"Is there a zero tolerance policy for clothing in your bed that I need to be aware of now?" I rested my head on his chest and threw one of my legs over his, effectively trapping him for the moment.

"As long as you're not on your period, yes there is a zero tolerance policy for clothing. All offenders are spanked."

"Is that right?" I asked and he grunted his response. "Well then..."

"Well then what?"

"Nothing," I said in that tone that sounded innocent, but definitely didn't have innocent implications.

"You better explain now."

"You're not the boss of me."

"Are you asking for a spanking?"

"Did I say I was? No, I didn't, bossypants." I totally sassed him just to see what he would do.

He actually surprised me when he gripped my hips and pulled me on top of him. "You're being awfully insubordinate though. I think you like it when I smack your ass," he said as his hands kneaded said ass.

"Mmm... yes sir," I rocked my hips.

That was a new thing, by the way. I had told him to do it just to mess with him, but when he did... holy cow. I wasn't prepared for the riot it set off inside me.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You were really tired not ten minutes ago."

"I'm still tired," I tried to climb off of him but he wouldn't let go of my hips. "I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

"Ugh," he groaned. "What medicine?"

"You know what medicine," I managed to slide his hands up to my chest. That was the best way to distract him that I knew of.

"Oh God, game over, we're doing it," he said as soon as he got a good grip on the girls.

He sat up to kiss me and I climbed off his lap. "Not tonight, boyfriend."

"You're an evil, evil minx," he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And just for that, you don't get snuggled to sleep."

I gasped and stretched out next him. I put on my best doe eyes and said, "Please?"

"You put my hands on your tits, knowing how I feel about them, while astride me, and then said no sex. No snuggling."

I moved a little farther up and got closer to his ear. "Please?" I nipped at the lobe.

"I... no. There are consequences to your actions."

"Fine," I rolled over so my back was to him and my ass was pressed against his side. I may have muttered something about having a mean boyfriend who wouldn't snuggle me under my breath.

After a short minute of non-movement, I felt Eric roll to his side so he was spooning me. He wrapped his arm around my stomach and pulled me back against him as he buried his face in my neck. He took a deep breath and kissed the sensitive skin there.

"I'm not a mean boyfriend. But you're still cruel for putting my hands on your boobs and then denying me pleasure."

"What if I promise to make it up to you? You get to pick your prize," I whispered. I could already feel myself drifting off to sleep.

"I'm holding you to it, girlfriend," he whispered in my ear. "Now go to sleep."

"Going... night Eric," I wiggled a little, and then dropped into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm in a generous mood, so I'll do teasers in review responses today. This won't happen often, so take advantage of it while you can ;)<strong>

**That said, I'll admit Sookie was a little evil there at the end but I promise she made up for teasing him like that. Besides, Eric likes it. I also have to tell you that while we were writing this and Scribe figured out that Eric was a bit of a whore (at least by HER standards), she had a small breakdown. Scribe isn't really known for writing boy sluts, so this was a huge thing for her. I think she may have had a small panic attack over it, to be honest. It was adorable. But they're officially boyfriend and girlfriend, so hopefully that will ease some of your fears about Sookie running away from him. We'll find out more about why Eric has been so reluctant to get into real relationships very soon, so stay tuned for that. Thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	8. Your Touch

Chapter 8: Your Touch

"_Well I'll be good like I should. Waiting is such misery. I need your touch." –the Black Keys_

After the way I had teased him the night before, I decided I would go meet Eric at the bar. I didn't know for sure that he would be there during the day, but I figured it was worth a shot. If he wasn't there, I would just go to his house. Either way, I figured I owed him a little something. Thankfully, Eric's car was in the parking lot when I pulled in. The bar wasn't very busy during the day but the restaurant did decent lunch business with all the nearby offices.

"Is Eric here?" I asked the hostess.

"Yeah, I think he's back in his office," she smiled at me. She knew who I was. Hell, just about everyone knew who I was.

I walked through the restaurant to the hall that lead to Eric's office. I paused outside his door, took a deep breath and knocked. "Eric, are you there?" I called out and cracked the door open a little to peek inside.

"Hey, this is a surprise," he smiled brightly and motioned for me to come inside.

"I'm not bothering you, am I?" I asked as I slipped into his office.

"Nope, I was just catching up on some email. Have a seat. Actually, I just got one from Isabel."

I'm sure when he told me to have a seat, he meant one of the chairs, or the couch that was off to the side. Instead, I went around and sat in his lap. "What did she want?"

I unzipped my jacket and pulled it off, and then tossed it over his desk onto one of the chairs. I could feel his breath on my neck and it made me shiver a little.

"She was begging me to take her back," he rolled his eyes. "I deleted it. I have absolutely no interest in going back to her. Besides, I have a badass new girlfriend that's a million times better than she could ever dream of being."

"That's right, Northman, lay it on thick," I leaned in and kissed him. "Other than the email, how was your day?"

"Pretty good. I've just been catching up on paperwork and email, but I could use a break. Any particular reason you stopped by?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I missed you," I pressed my forehead to his. "It's weird to feel that. I mean, not that I never missed you before, but just... not so soon, I guess? Does that make any sense?"

"Yes it does," I smiled. It made a lot of sense. "Did you want to go have some lunch in the restaurant?"

"Sure."

"Great," I said.

Per Eric's instructions I left my things in his office. He locked the door behind him, and even though I wanted to hold his hand while we walked, I knew we had to put our game faces on. We sat at the bar instead of at a table in the restaurant. It was probably for the better, since it gave more of an appearance that I was just stopping by to mooch lunch off of him before heading off to the rest of my day.

"Where do you want to go to eat tonight?" he asked once we were seated and looking at menus. The food was pretty good, as was evident by how full the dining room was at the moment.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it," I waved down the bartender and ordered a diet Coke. Oh sweet, carbonated goodness.

"Well, since we're having lunch here, you pick where we eat tonight."

I thought about it for a moment before suggesting, "How about your place? You've never cooked for me and I know you can."

"I don't know... I don't like to cook for girls unless I know they're going to put out," he offered a cocky smile and winked at me.

"Well I can't put out on an empty stomach. Besides, ever since you mentioned the fireplace, I've been thinking about it."

"Really... I suppose I could whip us up something. Any requests?"

"Surprise me. I'm easy," I sipped my drink.

"I'm not going there," he laughed. "But I'd love to make you my awesome Alfredo."

"Sounds yummy."

"It's delicious. I got the recipe from Laff."

"Then I'm sure it'll be great."

"So how are things for you since you got back? Swamped with work stuff?"

I didn't even want to think about what was going to be waiting for me when I got back to work. Taking time off at this point in the fiscal year was borderline retarded, but it wasn't like I could just not go to my brother's wedding. There was just so much to do in preparation for all the changes that were about to be made. I had done as much as I could before leaving, but I knew there was going to be a mountain of shit to go through when I got back. I hadn't even turned on my laptop yet to see what my email looked like. I was putting it off for as long as possible.

"I hate year end. We have all new paperwork that has to be bundled and sent out. I'm going to be in wall to wall meetings pretty much all next week, and I sincerely doubt I'll get home before seven. I'm praying for snow just so I can work from home an extra day," I sighed, even though working from home would only get me so far. All of the papers I needed were at the office, unfortunately, and there was no way I was going to cart all that shit home with me.

"Jesus, I'm sorry. If I try to ask you out at all and you're too tired from work, just say so okay?"

"Seeing you will be the best part of my day," I smiled and carefully put my hand on his leg.

"Ditto. My day has been pretty mediocre until I saw you. Just tell me when it's a good day and I'll come over to your place with food and everything so you don't have to cook."

"Deal," I smiled and bit my bottom lip.

"Add biting your lip to the things you can't do in front of me in public," he warned me. "You're like a walking mass of sexual energy."

I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I really, really want to kiss you right now."

"You can kiss me all you want as soon as we get back to my office," he whispered back.

"Yeah, but that doesn't help me right now," I bit my lip again, that time on purpose.

"I'll make it up to you as soon as we get back in there, I promise."

"This is the seriously sucky side to sneaking around," I pulled back before I did something I couldn't take back.

"I know it is, but sneaking around is still fun, right?"

I nodded and said, "I like having you all to myself. Well, in a manner of speaking."

"I like it too, and it won't always be like this."

"I know," I sipped my drink and wrapped my lips tightly around my straw, my eyes locked on Eric's.

"You're doing that on purpose," he said, stating the obvious.

"Drinking my soda? Yes, I am," I set my glass down.

"Minx," he said just before a waitress appeared with our food.

I scoffed and said, "I can't even drink out of a straw without you getting wood? Jesus, Eric. You know, I think you need to make me a list of all the things I _can _do, since I'm sure it's shorter than the things I can't."

"Or I can learn to control myself and just punish you later for things you know turn me on," he said in low, sultry voice that got that flood alert going in my underthings. Dammit, how did he do that to me?

I blushed and hoped no one noticed. "You hush with that."

"Now who needs to be making a list?" I smirked like the smug little punk he was, and turned his attention to his food.

"Eric?" I leaned over and whispered.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Is it okay for me to eat this pickle?"

He snorted. "Yes, just don't blow the pickle."

"I want to put that on a t-shirt for you," I said and took a bite of my pickle.

"Do that. I'll wear it and nothing else around the house for you."

I threw my head back and laughed loudly. What a mental image that was. I had to shake it away quickly before I suggested he model something similar to it in his office. When I got my head on straight I looked over at Eric, who, of course, was staring at my chest.

"Tsk, tsk, Mr. Northman. Playtime isn't until after lunch," I chastised.

"Then hurry up and eat," he said in a demanding tone.

Unfortunately for Eric, I was a slow eater. Always had been. "Mmmm... God, this is good," I moaned and took another bite of the panini in front of me.

"You. Are. Killing. Me."

"What'd I do now?" I asked after I swallowed.

"You're moaning about your food. I'd much rather you be moaning underneath me, naked, because my cock is inside you," he whispered.

My breath caught and my heart flip-flopped in my chest before trying to beat its way out. "I'll never finish if you keep talking like that."

"I don't know, you always finish when I talk like that."

"Shush and let me eat," I dodged away from his finger when he touched my neck.

"Fine, fine," he sighed.

I took a few more bites but my appetite pretty much disappeared thanks to the images his words planted in my brain. I wiped my hands on my napkin and then dropped it on my plate. Eric had been done for almost ten minutes and I had just barely finished half of my sandwich in that time. There was no mistaking what his priorities were at the moment.

"All done," I bit my bottom lip again.

"Thank fuck, let's go," he said, and grabbed my hand to pull me from the bar stool.

We walked through the restaurant and back toward his office. He tugged me inside and pushed me up against the closed door with that heated look in his eyes. Purely by reflex, my lip ended up back between my teeth and Eric growled.

"What?"

"When you do that, it makes me think of how you bite your lip when I hit that perfect spot inside you."

"Oh," I felt color rising up my neck. "I don't even realize I'm doing it, to be honest."

"You do it right before you scream out my name." His finger tailed down my neck and stopped just above my cleavage.

My breath caught and I said, "I didn't know that." I couldn't take my eyes off his finger.

"You should pay a bit more attention."

"Then you know about the German that comes flying out of your mouth?" I was still staring at his finger, waiting to see where it was going to go next.

"Wait, what? I don't even know much German," he said, his hand dropping from my chest.

"Well you know enough to say a few words," I looked up into his eyes. "I don't speak it at all, so I have no idea what you're saying."

"When do I say it?"

"When you... you know," my eyes widened for emphasis.

"Seriously?"

"Why would I make that up?"

"Wow. I hope I'm not saying anything bad."

"Like I said, I wouldn't know," I grabbed his hand and put it back on my chest, "but it sounds sexy."

"Maybe we should see if I can say it again," he suggested, getting his head back in the game.

"Maybe," I bit my lip again.

"And I'd like to see you bite your lip again."

"I just did."

"For a different reason."

"Then lock the door," I slipped under his arms and tried to move around him.

He quickly turned the deadbolt, and pulled me down onto his couch with him. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this here?"

"Keeping quiet will be a challenge," I confessed. The fact that it had only been three days since we last had sex and it felt like a year... well let's just say it had me wondering if I was an addict.

"Then I will do my best to make sure you are challenged."

"Are you sure you want your office to smell like sex for the rest of the day? That could be a big distraction."

"It will just remind me of what I have to look forward to tonight."

"In front of the fireplace?" I smirked and pulled Eric down on top of me. "Do you know what the best part of waking up was this morning?"

"What?" he asked, and kissed my neck.

I paused for a moment to savor the feeling and then said, "My bed smelled like you. I didn't want to get up."

He smiled down at me, and said, "I want my bed to smell like you. I'd never want to leave it."

"I think you need to start going home for lunch," I wrapped my legs around his thighs.

"Why do that when I can have you here?"

I tilted my head to find his ear and whispered, "Because I can't scream your name here."

"Fuck," he growled. "You're wearing entirely too much."

"Then undress me," I licked his neck.

"As you wish," he said, and followed through on his promise.

**oOoOoOo**

I packed a bag just to be on the safe side. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and I was pretty sure if Eric had his way about it, I wasn't leaving anytime soon. Lucky for him it was Friday night. Going back to work on Monday was going to suck. Or maybe, depending on how long I spent in bed with Eric, work might be a relief. Only time would tell on that.

I pulled into Eric's driveway just after seven and grabbed my bag from the backseat. Even though I had a key to the house, I rang the bell since it seemed like the right thing to do. I waited on the front porch for Eric to answer the door. Damn, it was cold outside. I hopped from one foot to the other while I waited for him. When he took too long, I rang the bell a second time.

Finally the door opened and Eric smiled at me. "Hey," I smiled back.

"Hey," he grinned. He looked very nice too in his dark jeans, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a sweater vest. "You're just in time too."

"Good. I'm starved. Lunch was cut short by a horny giant with a dirty mouth," I said as I stepped inside the house.

"But the result of that was more than worth it," he said as he took my coat and hung it up in the closet. "You brought an overnight bag?"

"I figured it was better to be prepared," I shrugged and dropped it haphazardly on the floor, and then kicked off my shoes.

"I was a little too gun shy to ask you to bring one, so I'm glad you did."

"A girl needs her toothbrush," I got in his personal space, "and kisses are nice too."

"Are they?" he asked, and then pulled me close and gave me a very slow, sweet one.

"Mmmm... one more," I said against his lips.

He complied, and then pulled away and said, "The pasta's going to overcook if we don't get in there."

"Yes sir," I gave him a sly smile and started toward the kitchen.

"I like that sir stuff," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" I looked over my shoulder. "I kinda like calling you that. It kind of reminds me of getting in trouble with the hot gym teacher back in high school because I'd forget to lock the gym after cheerleading practice was over."

"Oh god, please tell me you still have the uniform."

"I might," I pushed myself up onto the counter to watch him cook. "Wait a minute! You always make fun of me for having been a cheerleader..."

"What? I... No I didn't," he said, clearly flustered.

"Do to! You're always saying how it's a brainless activity," I reminded him. I never took offense to it, and instead assumed it was because the cheerleaders he'd gone to high school with had been mean to him.

"Well it is... but, I don't know, I like the idea of you in that uniform, just for me."

"I might still have it packed away somewhere," I shrugged but then said, "I know for sure I still have that school girl costume from Halloween in college."

"Ehh, I was never really into the school girl thing."

"Is that so, Mr. Northman? Then you are in the minority."

"It just makes me think of little kids, and I'm not a pedo."

"I never thought of it that way," I crossed my legs and leaned over to see what was in the pot. "So what's going on in there?"

"This is the pasta, and it's done," he said after he took a noodle from the pot and bit into it. He poured the pasta into a strainer in the sink, and then added the drained pasta to another pan on the stove before tossing it with tongs to cover it in the sauce. "There's sauteed veggies and chicken in that pan if you want to add some to it."

"Sure," I reached for the pan and slid off the counter so I wouldn't burn either of us. "Just dump it in?"

"Yup," he said, and continued to toss the pasta while I added the chicken and veggies. Once it was all covered he grabbed two plates from the cabinet and loaded them with the pasta before handing one to me.

"This smells amazing," I sniffed the plate. "Where are we eating?"

"In the living room is fine, then we'll be right in front of the fireplace," he grinned.

"Calm down there, killer. We've got all night," I led the way to the living room, and curled up on the enormous couch.

"Yeah yeah, and we can fill it with some awesome sex."

"I swear to God, if I didn't know any better I would think you were still a teenager," I twirled the pasta around my fork, lifted it and took a bite. The moan was immediate and loud.

"If you moan like that again, I might jackrabbit you like a teenager," he warned.

"It's your fault. You know what happens when I taste something yummy," I speared a piece of chicken.

"Yes, but you usually only moan like that when it's my cock you're tasting."

"Stop trying to distract me," I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm not trying to distract you. I'd rather you finish quickly so we can get some snuggling done while the food settles, then we can get to the really, really good stuff."

I side eyed him, shook my head and took another bite of my pasta. "This is amazing. Might even be better than sex."

"HA! You're hilarious."

"I'm serious," I said with my mouth full.

"Lovely manners, Stackhouse."

"You wouldn't be complaining if it was your cock in my mouth," I shamelessly retorted.

"Nope. And you have to stop lying to yourself. There's no way this is better than sex with me, and I'll prove it to you in a little while."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that."

"Keep lying to yourself..."

We both shut up then and ate. Of course, Eric was done before me. The second I set my plate down on the coffee table, I was prepared to be attacked.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asked.

"Sure." I stretched a little. "God, I feel like there's a food baby in here," I patted my stomach.

"Yup, so snuggling before sex. And really, you shouldn't need sex at all since the food was so much better than any sex I could give you."

"Mmhmmm." I rested my head against the back of the couch. "A nap sounds fantastic right now."

"Yeah it kinda does."

I scooted over and snuggled up beside Eric. "You're a good pillow."

"I know what would make a better pillow," he said with a grin.

"What's that?" I looked up at him.

"Your amazing boobs," he said, looking at them like he wanted to bury his face in them.

I got up, grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and the blanket that was spread out over the back of it and lay down on the floor. No way was he going to be able to lay on them if we stayed on the couch and if he put too much weight on my stomach I was going to barf. That would totally kill the rest of the night.

"What are you waiting for?" I looked up at him from my spot on the floor.

"Literally the only thing that could move me from this couch is the prospect of using your boobs as a pillow," he said, and got up slowly from the couch.

"Well they're not going anywhere."

"Good." He got down on the floor next to me and made himself quite comfortable on my chest.

I ran my fingers through his hair and asked, "Feel better now?"

"Much," he sighed.

"Good. I might need a back massage later though."

"I'd be glad to take care of that for you."

"I'll be topless. Of course you would," I snickered.

"You know me well."

I tilted my head back and looked toward the fireplace. "Did I ever tell you that I love the smell of fire?"

"No, you didn't," he said. "I love it too."

"It reminds me of camping trips with my parents when I was a kid. We went up to the Dells every summer like pretty much every other person in the tri-state area, but every night after the sun went down Dad would get a fire going and we would sit there for hours, telling stories and roasting marshmallows," I closed my eyes and smiled. "Those were good times."

"It sounds good. We never did anything like that. I like the smell because it smells good," he chuckled.

I snorted and said, "You never went camping with Pam? I refuse to believe that. She's such an outdoor girl."

"I think you're thinking of a different Pam."

"How do you think she's going to react when she finds out about us?" I asked rather absently and continued to run my fingers through his hair.

"She'll probably say that it's been a long time coming. She likes to think she knows everything."

I giggled and said, "That sounds about right."

I didn't bother to mention that he should be prepared to answer sex questions, because I knew Pam well enough to know she would ask. I could only hope that Jason would behave himself. I never told him about the stuff Quinn said to me for that very reason. I had no doubt Jason would have formed a posse and beat Quinn's ass to a pulp. My brother might be smaller than Quinn, but he's not a guy you want to meet in a dark alley when he's pissed off.

"What about Jason? How do you think he'll react?"

"I think as long as you treat me well, you've got nothing to worry about. Well, after the smackdown warning you'll get."

"Of course. I could beat his ass though. Not that I'll need to, because I don't plan to hurt you. I'm actually more worried about how your friends are going to react. It's no secret Amelia hates me."

"Don't even get me started on Amelia. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with her myself. When she's on her own, she's abrasive, but not impossible. When she gets near Pam, however..." I trailed off, thinking of the things she had said while we were in Mexico. It wasn't worth repeating, though. "Tara's going to be the tougher customer. She's going to be pissed at me for lying to her."

"I'm sorry for that. Maybe you should tell her, if you think she can keep it a secret."

I sighed and said, "I'm still trying navigate this. I want to sort it out for myself, and I know that even though Tara means well, she'll get in my head. It's better this way."

"Okay. Just know that if you want to tell anyone, I'm okay with it as long as we talk about it first."

A part of me wondered if he wanted to keep us a secret because he wasn't comfortable with being a boyfriend, but I figured that wasn't really fair to him. As long as he was trying, that was all that mattered. "The only person I might tell is my boss, but Elle doesn't know anyone we know. Oh, and Missy, but she likes you. A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"Put it this way—I think she likes your ass more than I do," I laughed quietly.

"Really?"

"Yep. Face it, baby, you have a very cute tushie."

"It is pretty nice if I do say so myself."

"Mmhmm," I agreed.

"Do you love my ass as much as I love your boobs?"

"I don't know if that's possible."

"Then my cock?"

"They're both very nice."

Ooooh he was going to jump all over the use of the word 'nice,' I was sure of it.

"Just nice? I mean, is there any part of me you love as much as I do your boobs?"

"I don't know," I laughed uncomfortably. "I like the whole package, Eric. Your eyes though... I really, really like your eyes. They're very expressive. Oh, and your hands, too."

"But do my eyes and hands make you want to bang me all the time?"

"No, but to me it's not a physical thing. Guys are really visual, but to me words are sexier. It's more about the things you say than the way you look. Although it _was_ because of your eyes that I kissed you the first time, so there's that."

"We are visual creatures. I'll have to remember the thing about words though. I'm sure I could work with that."

"I'm sure you can. You were doing a pretty good job of it at lunch, if you'll recall."

"I was, wasn't I?"

"Yes you were. Words, when used at the right time, in the right way, can be extremely sexy. Sexier than the actions, sometimes."

"Do you think I could ever make you orgasm through words?"

"I don't know, but it might be fun to try."

"It could be really, really fun to try."

"I mean, if you think about it, the right combination of words is going to make me want to pounce on you, so even if the words alone don't do all the work, I'd probably jump you anyway," I said casually, and wondered how long it would be before he got on with the dirty talk.

"So then what kind of stuff makes you want to jump me? When I tell you how beautiful you are, or things like when I tell you how hot it is to watch my dick sliding in and out of you when I'm fucking you from behind?"

Flash flood. Total flash flood. That's all it took.

"Both. It's nice to mix it up a little."

"You know what I really love?"

"Tell me," I barely whispered.

"I love the feeling I get in my gut when you kiss me. I love how you start off really slow and sweet, and then like someone flipped a switch, you're all fiery and passionate. Sometimes the hottest thing we do is kiss with our clothes on."

"Mmm... I would agree with that. I like your hands in my hair, moving my head where you want it, or your hand on my throat..." I shivered a little just thinking about it.

"I really love it when you wrap your lips around my cock. Fucking your mouth is one of the best things I've ever experienced."

Dude was trying to get me to jump him. And he thought _I_ was naughty. He knew what he was doing.

"I like that too."

"The only thing better is the feeling of that very first thrust into you. You kind of, flutter and squeeze my cock. It's all I can do not to finish before we even get started."

I managed to get a hold of his hands and pull them up over his head and hold them there. "I like it when you pin my hands like this. I like that I can trust you to push my limits a little, but know you won't go too far," I ran my finger along the underside of his arm and watched the goose bumps rise on his skin.

"I like that you let me push your limits," he said. "I hope that one day you'll let me tie you to my bed, blindfold you, and have my way with you."

"I like blindfolds," I admitted. "I've never been tied up though."

"But you've been blindfolded? I've never gotten to do either."

"Yeah. Just once, though," I felt weird about discussing previous sexual experiences with Eric. I'm not sure why.

"What was it like?"

"Well one of your senses is taken away, so everything else sort of feels like an explosion. Since you can't see what's going to happen, you're listening for the slightest clue, and the anticipation is just off the charts. You don't know if the other person is going to touch you or blow in your ear, or what they're going to touch you with, or where... it's intense."

"You are so doing that to me."

I was speechless. I wasn't expecting him to say that. I didn't know what to say.

"God, I can just imagine it now, not knowing if you're going to bite my nipple, or suck my cock, or if you'll put one of your nipples in my mouth, or rub your breasts around my dick. Jesus, it would be like a very frustrating, pleasurable heaven."

"I'm surprised you're so into this. You're more... you like control, from what I've seen."

"I do like control, and I think you're the only person I would ever do this with. I've never gotten to really experiment with anyone else because I didn't trust any of them. I trust you implicitly."

"If you're sure you want to do it, we can try it sometime," I offered and tried not to sound nervous about it. I had never tied someone up before. I wouldn't even know where to start, and it made me wonder if Eric had done a little tying in his past.

"I'm sure. But we don't have to do it yet. Maybe for a special day, like Valentines," he said and then paused, his jaw hanging open slightly.

"You're catching flies, Eric," I reached down and closed his mouth.

"I just realized that I actually want to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. You could wear red."

I smiled and said, "I could wear red. Red lace, red satin..."

"Jesus, woman are you trying to get me to jump you?"

"Just thinking about the possibilities. Do you have a preference?" I already had a few ideas in mind, but his input wouldn't hurt.

"How about red satin, over red lace lingerie. Oh and garters!"

"Given this some thought, have you?" I smirked.

"There's no lingerie I love more than garters. And lace is easier to rip."

"Maybe I should tie you up then so you can't destroy it," I teased, and he ended up shifting ninja quick so he was on top of me.

"Maybe you should."

"Are you sure you could handle that?" I looked up into his eyes. They were dark and intense again.

"I'm positive I could handle that," he said, grinding his hips into mine.

I bit my bottom lip and ran my hands up and down his sides. "Of course if you're blindfolded, what I'm wearing doesn't matter since you can't see it."

"You don't have to blindfold me."

"I don't know... I kind of like the idea of you being all defenseless and at my mercy."

"I do too."

Just when I was starting to think I knew him as well I was going to, he revealed something like this. But this was the fun part, learning new things about each other. "You should know that I don't usually do the Valentine's Day thing either, but I would for you."

"You would in a grudging way, or because you want to, with me?"

"I would do it because it's important to you and I want to make you happy. If that means 'suffering' through chocolates, flowers and candlelight, I suppose I can make that sacrifice," I sighed in an exaggerated way so he would know I was being slightly sarcastic.

"I'm not sure I'll be getting you chocolates," he smiled. "I'm sweet enough."

"Smooth, Northman," I stretched forward and kissed him. "Mmm... you are. Who knew?"

"I really, really like your kisses," he said, then kissed me again. "Why didn't we do this before now?"

"What? Kiss?"

"Kiss, make out, fuck... all of it."

"I don't know. I guess it was a timing thing."

"I can't help but feel like we've wasted a lot of time."

"Maybe, but if this had happened a year ago it might not mean the same thing it does now. Maybe if we had hooked up a year ago, or even five years ago, we would already be broken up because the timing was all wrong. Kicking ourselves isn't really worth it. I'm just happy that we figured it out."

"So does this mean we're 'in it to win it'?"

"I don't know what it means. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on us to make it work. I've always done that in the past and obviously it hasn't turned out well, so I'm trying to take it one day at a time and see where it goes."

"That's not a bad idea, and given my track record, it's probably best," he laughed.

I looked into his eyes and said, "There's no rush here, Eric. I just like being with you. The capacity in which that happens doesn't matter."

"I know," he said, looking relieved. "And I'm glad there's no pressure. That's where all my other relationships went wrong. They wanted to push for titles, or meeting the parents, or saying 'I love you,' or moving in. I don't see what's wrong with just being together."

"There's nothing wrong with it. I think when the timing is right for those things you'll know it. And if you ever feel like we're moving too fast, just tell me and we'll slow down."

"I will. And if you feel like I'm being an egghead, tell me and I'll try to remove my head from my ass."

"Deal," I nibbled my bottom lip and stared at his.

"Want to do that sex thing now?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

I nodded. "Yes please."

* * *

><p><strong>So good with the communication! I meant to post earlier but I have been outlining what promises to be an epically long story if I can find the time to write it. The fact that I have been able to do as much outlining as I have, however, speaks very well to the likelihood that I will actually write the story. Lord knows when it will see the light of day. I'm trying really hard to hold off on posting things until they're at least 23s complete, if not completely finished. I don't want to have a bunch of loose ends hanging around anymore. Anyway... I'm proud of the talk they had there, and I think this might have been one of the funnest chapters for Scribe and I to write. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Work

******For those of you who were missing lemons in the last chapter, you won't be in this one. Trust me when I tell you that this is _not_ safe for work. Like at all. Read on at your own risk if you're on the clock.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Work<span>

"_Work and play they're never okay to mix the way we do. All I can say I shouldn't say."_

–_Jimmy Eat World_

Fucking year end. I was exhausted. It was only Thursday and I had already been in the office for forty hours that week. I didn't get home until almost ten the night before, and I was back in the office before seven. Elle had tried to get the bosses to approve having a temp come in to help me, but it was decided it would be better for me to work overtime and be completely worn out by the time the fiscal year closed. Assholes.

I was at my desk between meetings, checking my email, when the receptionist buzzed my extension to tell me I had a delivery. I figured it was yet another box of pamphlets or benefit guides for the new insurance plan we had switched over to, so I grabbed one of the dollies and rolled it to the reception area with me. A delivery guy was standing there at the desk, and there was an enormous vase full of daisies sitting on the partition attached to Danielle's desk.

"Sookie Stackhouse?" he asked when I appeared.

"That's me," I stood the dolly up.

"Sign here," he handed me a clipboard and I signed where my name was printed.

"Here you go," he handed me the vase.

"Thanks," I smiled and sniffed the flowers. They didn't smell like much, but they made me smile. I didn't need to look at the card to know who they were from. I wheeled the dolly back to the conference room where I was keeping it, and then went back to my cubicle.

The card very simply said, "Not from Sam."

I laughed and then contemplated the appropriate way to thank Eric. I hadn't seen him since Sunday night. We had talked on the phone and exchanged texts, but I was just too tired to go over to his place when I got off work. A brilliant idea flashed in my mind, and I went to the conference room where I had been working, making sure to lock the door behind me. I made sure the blinds were securely closed and then slipped off my jacket and hung it on the back of the door. When I sat in the chair I turned toward the window behind me and unbuttoned my shirt a little.

I grabbed my cell phone from the table and after a few test shots, I was able to get a shot of my cleavage that I knew would make Eric's eyes bulge out of his head. I wouldn't send him nudie pictures, but he didn't need those. He knew damn well what was under my clothes. Before I could talk myself out of it, I sent the picture to him along with a note of my own that said, "Definitely not from Sam."

It took about thirty seconds for my phone to ring and I grinned before answering it. "Good morning, honey."

"You just sent me one hell of a thank you," he said.

"I just wanted you to know that I appreciate the flowers. They're beautiful. I miss you. I wish I didn't have to be here this much," I pouted and swiveled back and forth in my chair.

"Why don't I come over to your place tonight? I'll make you some food."

"I would love that, but I don't think I'm going to get out of here until at least eight. These fucking meetings are throwing me way off schedule," I sighed. I needed a nap. Now.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said. "I'll just have to come up with some way to make it up to you."

He called me sweetheart, and I don't even think he realized he did it, but I loved it when he did.

"You already did. Now every time I come back to my cubicle, I'll have something to smile about."

"I'm glad you like them," he said, and I could tell he was smiling. "But I'll still come up with something to make your day even better."

"I don't suppose you could sneak in here for a quickie?" I joked, but instantly wondered if he would actually do it. God knows I could use it. Hell, I would settle for five uninterrupted minutes in the backseat of his car. "Scratch that. I don't have time," I sighed with disappointment.

"I wish I could. But I think you might have a nice surprise any moment now."

"What did you do?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad, I promise."

"Damn. I like it when you're bad."

"I might be bad for you later. You don't want this surprise to be bad though."

"Ugh, fine. No hints?" Just then there was someone calling for me near my cubicle. "Hang on. There's someone looking for me."

I set the phone down, buttoned my shirt and went across the room to unlock the door. I figured it was just Elle, wanting to go over some of the presentation material for the next meeting. Fucking shareholders wanting to know what we were up to. Just let me do my damn job. The meetings were such a time suck, and really, it was all shit that could very easily be shared in an email. Oh well.

"Sookie Stackhouse?" A round little woman smiled at me.

"Uh, yeah, can I help you?" I smiled back at her.

"Delivery," she held up a bag and a venti Starbucks coffee.

"Uh... I didn't..." Eric! Eric did this. "What do I owe you?" I asked since I wasn't expecting Eric to have taken care of this.

"It's all set. Enjoy," she nodded and walked off.

I closed the conference room door and went back to the table where my phone was. I set down the coffee and the bag of food that smelled like Chinese takeout. I picked up my phone and said, "You are _so _getting laid the next time I see you."

"Did you get your surprise then?" he asked.

"Yes!" I said with excitement as I opened the bag and inhaled. "It smells amazing. Thank you. Seriously, I was in such a rush this morning I didn't have time to pack a lunch and I have too much to do to go out, so you are totally saving me from choking a bitch due to low blood sugar. Thank you."

I pulled sesame chicken, chicken fried rice and egg rolls from the bag. He was amazing, and _definitely _getting laid. Soon.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. "And I'm really happy that it made you want to have sex with me. No one ever says that the way to a woman's vagina is through her stomach."

"That was the weirdest sentence I ever heard, so maybe that's why no one says that," I laughed.

"Well they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach..."

"I know, but that's different," I opened the rice carton. "The only way this could be better is if you were here. Naked."

"Unfortunately I'm stuck in my own office, doing that work stuff."

"Well, I hope your day is... hell, I can't even say this is a bad day anymore. I owe you."

I dug into my lunch. Yeah, it was rude to eat with him on the phone, but I didn't really care. I was starving and I figured Eric didn't care. I moaned with my first bite of sesame chicken. Damn, it was delicious.

"I'm glad I was able to help. I guess this means I don't have to do anything else to improve your day."

"Barring somehow getting all my meetings canceled so I can get my regular work done in a normal time so I can go home and ravage you, no, you've done enough."

"Good, but I still might go for it and push your day into best day ever territory."

"I would be very grateful."

"Then you finish your work day in anticipation of better things to come."

"Yes sir," I smiled.

"I'll let you eat in peace then," he said.

"Okay. Thank you again. This was really sweet of you."

"You're very welcome. Talk to you soon."

"Yes, you will. Bye."

"Bye."

We both hung up and I finished eating lunch. From there my day sort of backslid into shitastic territory. My focus was totally blown, however. All I could think about was ways to show Eric my appreciation, and most of them were dirty, which meant I was squirming in my seat. I was seriously tempted to text him under the table since I was sitting at the far end of the boardroom where no one would see. When the meeting broke up for a bathroom break, I took a chance and sent him a text.

**S: I can't stop thinking about you. I have such a dirty mind today.**

**E: Oh really? How dirty?**

**S: Dirty enough that I need new panties.**

**E: Oh yeah? Maybe you should just take those off.**

**S: Thought about it, but doubt the bosses would approve.**

**E: Then maybe you could tell me what you were thinking of that ruined your panties.**

**S: Ways to thank you. Always ends with me bent over my desk.**

I know my cheeks were flushed, and the texts were completely inappropriate, but I couldn't stop myself. I needed the distraction for just a little while.

**E: Fuck, I don't think I'll be satisfied until I get to do that to you.**

**S: You have no idea how bad I want it right now.**

**E: Are you alone?**

**S: We're on a break. I'm in the boardroom.**

**E: So you're not alone enough that I could call and get you off real quick.**

**S: I'm alone in the room. I have maybe five minutes before they come back.**

I got up and went to the little closet where the payables people kept the hard copies of current year's invoices and barricaded myself inside as best I could.

**S: I just moved to a more secure location ;)**

My phone buzzed in my hand and I immediately answered the call. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. Maybe because it was forbidden, it seemed that much more desirable to me. "Hello?" I whispered.

"Are you alone, Sookie?" Eric answered in a regular tone of voice.

"Yes," I managed to breathe. My heart was racing and my knees were a little shaky.

"Good girl. Are you sitting or standing?"

"Standing," I whispered.

"I want you to stand in the corner with your back to it so you don't fall down. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?" His voice was doing all sorts of wonderfully naughty things to me at that moment.

"Yes," I whispered and shifted to the corner. "Okay, I'm in the corner."

"Are you wearing a skirt?"

"No."

"Hmmm..." he paused a moment and then asked, "are your nipples hard?"

My blush deepened and I said, "A little."

"Make them hard for me, Sookie. Pinch and roll them like I would if I was touching them," he instructed, and I did as he told me to.

Holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder wasn't easy, but there was no way I could put him on speaker. I wasn't that bold.

"Are they hard for me, sweetheart?"

"Mmhmm," I moaned quietly.

"Careful, Sookie, or you'll get us caught," he warned. "I want you to keep one hand on your breast, and I want the other one to move down your stomach and into the waistband of your pants."

I followed his instructions and said, "Okay. God, baby, I'm so wet right now."

He growled and said, "Put your hand in your panties, Sookie. Tell me how wet you are. If I bent you over right now could I fuck you hard?"

I made an incoherent noise as my fingers grazed over my clit. Seriously, did I really need a job? An orgasm was a much bigger priority right then.

"Answer me, Sookie," he demanded.

"Yes," I squeaked out.

"Keep teasing your nipples, and get those fingers of yours nice and wet for me," he said.

My fingers moved between my folds, collecting my juices, but I was careful not to touch my clit again. I wouldn't without his permission.

"Are they wet now, sweetheart?"

"Mmhmm."

"Push two of them into that hot, tight little pussy of yours, Sookie. Imagine they're my fingers, getting you ready to take my cock," he said and I swear, I almost came right then.

"Oh God," I moaned, just as I pinched my nipple a little harder than before.

"Be quiet, Sookie, or I'll have to punish you later if you get caught," he warned.

He was going to kill me in a figurative sense. The dirty talk, touching and anticipation paired with his voice was a slow, sweet death.

"Are you riding your fingers, Sookie?"

"Yes," I said and rocked my hips a little.

"How does it feel?"

"Good. Tight."

"Curl your fingers, Sookie. Find that spot that makes you scream," he instructed, and that was just mean. He knew I'd done it when I cried out. "Quiet," he reminded me.

"So close, Eric. I need to come," I moaned as quietly as I could into the phone.

"I need it too, sweetheart. My cock is so hard right now. Do you have any idea how much I want to be there? I could have you on your knees, sucking me off while you ride those fingers. Or maybe I'd put you up against the wall, pin your arms over your head and pound you until you screamed my name," he said and I had to bite my arm to keep from crying out when my orgasm washed over me. "Did you come for me, pretty girl?"

"Mmhmmm," my knees wobbled and I was glad I was in the corner.

"Good girl. Now I want you to take your hand out of your panties and lick your fingers clean," he said.

I sucked my fingers into my mouth, licking my juices from them. No doubt my panties were completely destroyed.

"How do they taste?"

"Sweet," I panted.

"Good girl. I want you to leave those panties on, Sookie. I want you to remember how wet you got for me," he told me. "I'll know if you change them. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes," I nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"That's my girl. Now go back to work. I'll call you later," he said as I heard the others returning to the boardroom.

"Thank you, Eric," I said in a small voice.

"You can thank me later," he said in his sex voice.

**oOoOoOo**

I looked around the conference room and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just after seven and I managed to get all of the packets put together. Now I just had to divide them by location and get them ready for shipping, but I could do that in the morning. Everyone else had gone home a long time ago, so I was alone in the office. I debated what else I wanted to do, or if I should just pack it in for the night. I decided I might as well do my sorting so all I would have to do is box everything up and ship it out the next day.

The doorbell rang at the front, which was weird. I figured it had to be someone from the cleaning crew. Maybe they left a key somewhere? I had no idea. I made my way through the office up to the reception area, and stopped in my tracks when I saw Eric standing on the other side of the glass doors. He really was bucking for boyfriend of the year, wasn't he?

"What are you doing here?" I practically jumped on him when I got the glass door open.

"I told you I wanted to make your day even better," he said, wrapping his arms around me.

"You did, but I figured it would end with that nice little chat we had earlier," I squeezed him tightly.

"That was pretty awesome, but unfortunately it left me more than a little horny on top of the horny I already was. Plus I missed you, and I want to see about fulfilling that little fantasy of yours involving your desk."

"Well come inside, and I'll give you the tour," I pulled back and grabbed his hand to lead him around the office. "How was your day?"

"It was actually pretty awesome. I spent it trying to please my girlfriend."

"Oh yeah? How'd that work out for you?"

"I think it worked well. She told me multiple times that she wanted to jump me when she saw me again."

"Wow. Sounds like you did a pretty good job then," I walked into my cubical with Eric right behind me. "Is she going to mind that you're here with me?"

"I don't think she'll mind at all," he smiled, pulling me back against him.

"Are you sure? If you were _my_ boyfriend, I'd be jealous," I let my hands settle at his waist for the moment.

"Then I guess it's a good thing that _you_ are my girlfriend."

"I guess so," I bit my bottom lip.

"And I can't help but notice that you're wearing pinstripes today," he said.

"I am. I love pinstripes. You should have been here ten minutes ago when I had my glasses on," I teased and tried to pull back from him, but he wasn't having it.

"Just the thought of you with your glasses on is enough for me," he said, his voice low. "Have you removed your panties yet?"

"No sir. You told me to keep them on, remember? I was listening."

"Good, good girl." His eyes had darkened again, probably in anticipation of what he knew we were about to do. "Kiss me."

I cupped his face in my hands, kissed around his mouth and nibbled his bottom lip before sucking on it, and then finally kissing him. His grip on my hips got a little tighter as our tongues battled for dominance. The kiss definitely wasn't gentle, but I didn't mind that at all. When the kiss broke I pulled back a little and looked at him with starry eyes.

"I missed that," I moved my hands down to his neck.

"I did too, like you wouldn't believe."

"I have seriously considered quitting my job at least four times this week," I moved his hands up my sides to my chest.

"Just so you could come kiss me?" he joked.

"For starters," I stared at his lips.

I blamed my legendary case of gutterbrain on the fact that we were a new couple, and we were supposed to want to paw at each other all the time. But the truth was, I couldn't remember ever dating anyone else where I felt the urge to do that quite so strongly. Even with Alcide, I hadn't felt like this. This was something completely unique to Eric.

"Has work really been that bad? Do I need to just get you out of here?"

"I'm being a little dramatic due to a lack of sleep. I swear, I could go home and sleep until Tuesday. Well, stay in bed, at least."

"If you took me home with you, you wouldn't be sleeping much."

"Well if you want me to ditch you..." I pulled back.

"Oh hell no, I have a very _big _problem that needs taking care of," he said, pulling me right back against him.

"Oh yeah? Well we can't have that. What can I do to help?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

"You could help relieve the pressure a bit. These pants are really uncomfortable."

I looked down and said, "Hmm... that does seem to be quite a predicament you have there."

"Yes, and it's getting painful, especially since hearing you come over the phone."

"Just tell me what I need to do to make it better. I _do_ we you one."

"Get on your knees, Sookie," he ordered.

My heart jumped a little and I slowly lowered myself to my knees in front of him. I looked up at him through my lashes and said, "What now?"

"Undo my jeans," he said, tucking some hair behind my ear as he spoke. His touch was gentle while his words were rough.

I reached up and unbuttoned his jeans, keeping my eyes on his as I carefully lowered the zipper. I looked down for just a moment and realized he wasn't wearing underwear. I gulped and then looked up at him again, waiting for further instruction.

"Suck me, Sookie."

Eric ordering me to do things, giving me instructions like that was hotter than I thought it would be. I liked that I jumped a little and that I was eager to please him. The best part was knowing that he would give as well as he got. Eric wasn't at all selfish. He was willing to surrender himself to me, and that took complete trust.

With that in mind, I freed his erection from his jeans and leaned in to lick his cock from base to tip, pausing at that little spot where the head met the shaft, and teasing it with the tip of my tongue. His hand threaded into my hair and pulled me a little closer. I swirled my tongue around the tip of his cock, and then brought my hand up to stroke his length while my tongue kept swirling. I teased for a while, watching his eyes roll back.

"Sookie," he growled, "you aren't following instructions."

"Sorry, sir," I smiled up at him and then opened my mouth.

I took him as deeply as I could, rubbing my tongue along the underside of his cock. Slowly, I pulled back, staring up into his eyes. I sucked him in again, going slowly at first, and then grabbing onto his hips so I could go faster. His grip on my hair tightened, and held my head still while he started to thrust his hips.

The feel of his cock sliding in and out of my mouth was a huge turn-on, and knowing he was enjoying it only made it better. I moaned around his cock, and he fucked my mouth a little faster. When he let go of my hair and pulled back far enough that his cock slipped out of my mouth, I realized how breathless I was. I gasped for air, but went right back to sucking him off and stroking him.

"Take off your shirt, Sookie," he said in that low, gravelly tone of his. I kept sucking while I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it off. "Now pull down the cups of your bra. I want to see how hard your nipples are."

"So hard," I moaned and swirled my tongue around his cock.

"Pinch them for me, Sookie. Make them harder," he told me.

My hands cupped my breasts for a minute, but then I pinched my nipples like he told me to. I moaned again, and resumed sucking his cock. His hand was in my hair again, guiding my head.

"Are you wet for me, Sookie?" He asked and I nodded a little. "Unbutton your pants."

My hands moved down and I unbuttoned my pants. I went to put my hand inside them, but Eric stopped me.

"Did I say you could touch yourself, sweetheart?" He looked at me with an evil little smirk on his face.

"No sir," I removed my hand from inside my panties. "I'm very wet, sir," I looked up at him through my lashes, hoping he would have mercy on me.

"Open your mouth, Sookie," he said and I did.

He started fucking my mouth again, careful not to thrust so far that he gagged me. I hollowed my cheeks and sucked hard. The closer he got to coming, the rougher he got. I wanted to touch myself, but I didn't. I could wait.

Finally I felt Eric swell a little and he was as deep in my throat as he could be when he came. I had no choice but to swallow, although I would have anyway. He let go of my hair and leaned against the wall. He was panting and shaking while I sucked just a little more until he started to get soft again. When I released him from my mouth, I kissed the tip of his cock and smiled up at him. My eyes were watering a little and my throat was a little sore, but it was worth it.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he touched my face gently, adoringly, and I melted a little.

"You're welcome," I said as he pulled me up.

He leaned down and kissed me deeply, his tongue exploring my mouth while his hands went to my breasts. He plucked and rolled my nipples, and then pushed me down onto the chair in front of my desk. He knelt between my parted thighs, and moved his kisses down my neck. The kisses were sloppy and wet, and he would blow a cool breath over the wet spots before moving on to another spot. He kissed along my collarbone, his hands cupping my breasts and then burying his face between them.

My fingers moved through his hair, following his head as his mouth moved from one nipple to the other, teasing them both until it was almost painful. His hands moved down and he started to tug at my pants. I lifted my hips and he pulled them down over them, taking my panties too. I watched him slide them down over my shoes, and set them aside on the floor. He lifted my right leg and kissed his way from my ankle to my thigh, his eyes fixed on mine.

"Mmm..." he moaned and smiled deviously, "did sucking my cock make you this wet, Sookie?"

"Yes," I shook a little, wanting him to touch me.

His fingers rubbed along my lower lips, and slowly spread them apart. He growled and leaned in to use his mouth on me. He licked me from my opening to my clit, and my head fell back. I grabbed his hair a little tighter and thrust my hips toward him.

"More," I whimpered.

He grabbed my thighs and lifted me up off the chair a little. "Hold on, sweetheart," he groaned, and then attacked my clit with his tongue.

"Oh God!" I cried, and nearly came right then and there.

He battered my clit and slid two of his fingers inside me after putting my right leg over his shoulder. My hips started to thrust in attempts to grind against him. His fingers pumped in and out of me, and he sucked mercilessly at my clit. It was almost brutal, but it felt amazing.

My back arched and he lifted my lower half off the floor entirely, forcing me to brace myself on the arm of the chair. I couldn't let go of his hair. I finally had him where I wanted him and I couldn't let go. He stiffened his tongue and thrust it inside me, and I shouted his name.

Eric smiled with his eyes, obviously proud of himself. I felt too good at that moment to roll my eyes or chastise him any way. Eric very clearly liked to remind me that he could get me off better than anyone else ever had in the past, but when I thought about it, I realized it wasn't such a bad thing. It just made him determined to prove that it was never a fluke occurrence, that he could do it anytime he wanted.

He fucked me with his tongue, his thumb working my clit. My moans got louder and louder with the building pressure. From that point on, anytime I had a bad day in my office I would just look at the chair I was barely in and remember this. I was right there on the edge when he set me down on the chair and stood up.

"Come here, Sookie," he pulled me up onto my feet and bent me over my desk.

I held on tight and he slammed into me from behind. I cried out, and my orgasm exploded. My muscles clenched hard around Eric's cock while I cried out. Eric held my hips, slowly pulled out and then slammed in again. "Eric!" I screamed and worried my knees were going to give out already.

"I'm not finished yet, sweetheart," he growled in my ear.

"Oh God," I moaned and he pulled out again.

He pounded into me fast and hard, his grip on my hips sure to leave a fresh set of bruises behind. I didn't even have a chance to recover from the first orgasm when the second started to build. He leaned over me and one of his hands turned my head so he could speak right into my ear. He thrust into me hard and then stilled.

"Do you feel how hard I am, Sookie? No one else does this to me. I could fuck you all night. I could listen to you scream my name for hours and I would still want more," he bit my ear, and then pulled out slowly, only to slowly push in again. "You're so hot and tight, sweetheart, almost like your body was made for mine."

I couldn't disagree with that. I sometimes wondered if that wasn't true myself. Eric took it slow for a while, his thumbs pressing along the length of my spine before his hands returned to my hips, and he started pounding into me again. He pulled out suddenly and turned me over. He bent back me and kissed me hard. His hands settled on my breasts, kneading and plucking my nipples until my hips started to rise.

"Eric, please," I whispered.

"What do you want, Sookie?" He dragged his teeth over one of my nipples.

I shivered and said, "I want you inside me."

He smiled against my skin and lifted my legs, pushing them up toward my chest so I was practically folded in half. "Look at me, sweetheart," he was nose to nose with me all of a sudden.

My eyes locked on his and he entered me again. My eyes went wide and he grinned like it was Christmas morning. I bit my bottom lip for a moment before he pulled it free and kissed it softly.

"Mine," he whispered, and sucked on my lip.

His hips began to thrust, going slow and deep at first. He grabbed my hands and held them over my head while his lips trailed down my neck. He whispered little things to me while his other hand settled low on my stomach. His thumb rubbed tight circles over my clit. I wanted my hands back so I could wrap my arms around him, but instead my back just arched which seemed to be an invitation for Eric to take one of my nipples in his mouth.

All of the sensations overwhelmed me and when I came again, Eric soon followed with a grunt and a shout of his own in German. He dropped onto his hands, which he braced on either side of my head. I giggled quietly and said, "You did it again."

"Did what?" He panted.

"The German," I stretched forward and pecked him on the mouth. We were both a sweaty mess, but I didn't mind that at all.

"I did?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yep," I smiled up at him and ran my fingertips up and down his sides, making him shiver.

"You must make my brain short circuit," he smiled back at me.

"Seems so," I rocked my hips and he sucked in a breath. "I want more, Eric."

He picked me up off the desk and sat down with me in his lap in the chair behind him. I rocked against him, wondering how long it would take to make him hard again. We had lost time to make up for in so many ways.

**oOoOoOo**

The bar was packed, but it was to be expected on a Friday night. I had to park all the way at the back of the lot, but that was probably for the better since it meant my car was out of the way and less likely to get hit by a drunk idiot on their way out. I stopped at the hostess stand to ask where Eric was, and learned that he was behind the bar, lending a hand to a bartender who was definitely in the weeds. I went to the left, and paused when I saw Eric laying on of those panty dropping smiles on a pretty brunette.

She was eating it up, of course, but the second she touched him he backed off. Good boy. I took off my coat and checked it before going up to the bar and waiting for him to notice me standing there. Just for him I was wearing a short black skirt and a sparkly red top that I knew would catch his eyes. The combination of red and cleavage was one that Eric couldn't resist for long. When he saw me standing there, his eyes bulged a little and then got darker as he walked over to me.

"Surprise," I smiled at him.

"Wow it's great to see you," he said, and leaned over the bar to give me a peck on the cheek.

"You too. It's insane in here," I looked around at the sea of people.

"Yes it is. It'll be a bit before I can get out from behind here, so if you want to wait in the office that's fine. Or you could go ask Laff to make you some supper."

"No, I'm good. I already ate, actually. I would love a pineapple juice though," I smiled coyly at him.

He grinned, "Coming right up, and later too."

I snickered and looked around the bar again to see if there was anyone else around that I knew. I cringed internally when I saw Sam sitting at a table toward the back. I wondered if Eric had noticed Sam was there. It was so busy I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't. When he put my drink down in front of me I said, "Sam's here."

"Oh yeah? You want to go talk to him? I feel bad that I can't entertain you right now."

"Um, no, I think I'll pass. Actually, I think I might go upstairs and dance for a while. I have all this pent up energy from being behind a desk for sixty hours this week," I drank some of my juice.

"Okay. I'll come find you when I can get out of here."

"Have fun," I smiled at him and slid into the crowd of people behind me.

I made my way upstairs, which wasn't exactly easy to do. I finished my juice and left the empty glass on the bar up there. The dance floor was packed as well, but I didn't let that stop me. I hadn't been kidding about that energy. I really did love my job, most of the time, but I wasn't used to being stuck behind a desk that much. I needed the release... in many ways.

It didn't take long for me to get hot and sweaty. I got lost in the music and let myself get carried away with the pounding bass. I could feel the vibrations of it in my feet as I moved around the dance floor. I mostly kept to myself, although I was asked to dance a couple of times. At least an hour had passed, and I somehow found myself at the center of a pack of guys I didn't know. One guy in particular started getting a little too close, so I just backed up a little. Unfortunately he didn't seem to be getting the hint that I wasn't interested.

I made the mistake of turning my back on him and he took the opportunity to grab my hips and grind against my ass. I whirled around and pushed him back. "Hands off, buddy!"

Strong, familiar hands grabbed my hips from behind and without even looking, I knew it was Eric behind me. I relaxed immediately, but the punk in front of me just looked annoyed that someone else was swooping in on what he probably assumed was his.

"Don't waste your time, man!" he shouted over the music. "This one's a tease."

My jaw dropped, but Eric did all the talking for me.

"You have five seconds to get off my dance floor before I dropkick you down the stairs and have security toss you out on your ass," Eric guy looked back and forth from Eric to me and Eric said, "Now you have three seconds."

When the five seconds expired, Eric moved to make good on his threat, but the guy took off like a shot, nearly knocking down every patron in his path. What an asshole. Eric turned me around so we were face to face and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. He looked me up and down like he was inspecting me to make sure I was okay.

"Eric, I'm fine. Other than him grinding on my ass, that is," I shivered at the thought.

"Let's go to my office. I'll get you some water."

I nodded and held his hand while he led me downstairs and back to his office. I sat on the couch while he went to get me the promised water. He returned with two bottles and closed the office door behind him.

"Thanks," I smiled up at him when he offered me one of the bottles. "I really am okay."

"I hate that that skeevy guy grinded on your ass."

"You and me both," I uncapped the water and took a drink.

"You wore red for me," he smiled.

"I did. I figured it's the least I could do after yesterday."

"You more than paid for yesterday in your office last night," he said.

I blushed a little and said, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Northman."

"Uh huh," he grinned. "So what are you up to tonight, other than teasing me with your cleavage?"

"That isn't enough?" I snickered. "Actually, I was in the market for a snuggle partner later, if you know anyone who might be interested."

"I think I know a guy. I've got about an hour of work left, and then I'd be happy to help you out."

"Sweet. I can hang out and wait, or I can go home and fix my face," I took another drink of my water.

"Your face is fine. Plus, if you hang out and wait, I could give you a little something before we have to leave."

"Oh?" I looked him up and down. "I didn't think you had anything little."

"Funny. I was actually thinking of having you for dessert on my desk. And I mean that in the way that I take off your panties, sit you on my desk, and then have you for dessert."

Color crept up my neck and I asked, "But then what will you have for a midnight snack?"

"You can have whatever you want, but right now, I want you, on my desk. I'm a little bit addicted to you, Stackhouse."

"I noticed," I leaned over and kissed him softly. "And it's mutual, by the way."

"Good, but I get you first," he said, and suddenly picked me up, carried me to his desk, and sat me on it. "Now lean back and hang on, sweetheart."

"Did you lock the door?" I asked since the last thing I needed was for someone to come barging in while he was having his dessert.

"Closed the deadbolt when I came back with the water," he grinned.

I lay back on the desk, and Eric reached under my skirt. He skimmed the line of my panties and nuzzled the inside of my thigh. The little bit of scruff on his jaw tickled, and I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. Eric looked up at me with those dark, intense eyes of his that suggested he meant business. There wasn't really time for fooling around since he had to get back to work, and the thought of him smelling like me for the rest of the time he was working was a bigger turn-on than I could ever say out loud.

He tugged at my panties and I lifted my hips a little. He slid them off and I watched as he put them in his pocket. I lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. He pulled me closer to the edge of the desk and even though I wanted to put my hands in his hair, I kept them over my head, holding onto the other edge.

He started with little kisses, and was just starting to get to the good stuff when there was a knock on the door. I jumped like the desk was suddenly electrified, but Eric didn't seem to care. "Eric, there's someone at the door," I whispered.

"God dammit," he growled. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I sat up slowly, a devious thought coming to mind. "I can just finish myself."

"Don't you dare! If we don't finish here, I'll finish you back at your place."

"Fine," I sighed and held out my hand. "Panties?"

There was another, more persistent knock on the door. "Eric!"

"I gotta go see what it is, and I'm taking your panties with me," he said, and went to the door.

"Eric!" I whisper shouted at him, but he ignored me. "Eric Ian Northman, get back here!"

Nothing. Oh, he was going to pay for that. I hopped down off his desk and followed him out of his office. I didn't know why I was suddenly so pissed off, but I shot him the stink eye on my way to the coat check, and then went out to my car. Sully was waiting for me when I got home. I changed out of the red top and short skirt I had on, and instead put on a pair of flannel pajamas. I didn't bother waiting up for him.

I'm not sure how long I was in bed for when I heard the front door open, and then the click of the deadbolt. The carpet was plush enough that I didn't hear Eric's footsteps. My blanket was pulled up high around my neck. If he thought we were having sex after that little stunt, he was sorely mistaken.

"Sookie?" he whispered.

"Sleeping," I whispered back.

"Why are you sleeping?"

I didn't answer him.

"Sookie? I thought we were going to finish what we started back in my office."

"That was before you walked off with my panties."

"You're mad about that? I thought it was hot." He kicked off his shoes, and I heard him unbuckle his belt and remove his pants.

"Maybe if it wasn't three degrees outside," I huffed. It dawned on me that I was being ridiculous at that point, but it was too late to go back.

"But you were inside," he said as he crawled under the covers. "Are you wearing flannel?"

"Yes," I said bitterly. "I was cold."

"Sook, I'm sorry. I thought you'd think it was as hot as I did," he whispered. I felt him snuggle up behind me and pull me back against him. "I was so turned on by knowing you were walking around without underwear. That I could have just bent you over and fucked you if I wanted to. And I could still smell you and taste you."

His hand crept up and settled on my breast, so I was sure he felt my heartbeat speed up. Damn weakness for dirty words was going to get me in more trouble, I swear...

"Don't talk to me like that when I'm mad at you," I said in a weak voice, even though I was being stubborn.

"I'm just being honest. Wouldn't you like knowing that I'm walking around with no boxers? That whenever you wanted you could just unzip my jeans and take me?"

"Stop," I whimpered, but didn't really mean it. He knew it, too.

"You really don't want me to stop, Sookie. In fact, I think you know I'm telling the truth. You don't want to be in all this flannel now that I'm here to warm you up, do you?" he asked as his hand dipped under the waistband and rubbed up and down my leg.

"You're not playing fair," my breath caught, even as my own traitor body did a little rubbing of its own against the bulge behind me.

"All's fair, sweetheart," he said, and kissed that spot on my neck that always got me going.

"Eric," I whispered, and knew right then that my battleship was sunk.

"Yes?"

"How do you do this to me?" I moved his hand around between my legs and he growled in my ear.

"I don't know, but I'm glad that I do," he said, and his fingers began to move through my folds. "Is this just from what I said, or have you been this wet since the bar?"

"Both," I squeaked out.

He groaned and his fingers started stroking my clit. I wanted to stay mad at him, although I don't know why. All things considered, he was right. Him holding my panties hostage was sexy, and the more I thought about it, the more aroused I got.

My little tantrum hadn't set Eric off course at all, as was obvious by how hard he was behind me. "Roll over onto your stomach, Sookie," he instructed and removed his fingers from my pants.

My stubborn mind said no but my body did what he told me to. He tugged my pants down and pulled me up onto my knees. I held my breath, expecting him to enter me, but instead I felt his lips on the back of my thighs. I pushed up a little and looked up over my shoulder, but his face had disappeared. I felt his tongue lick up my slit a few times, and then pressing against my opening. I moaned, trapped between loving the teasing and hating it.

Eric pushed my shirt a little further up so my ass was exposed, and then he was on his knees behind me. He rubbed his cock between my thighs, thrusting against me gently, and entering me with his fingers. I sucked in a breath and wasn't expecting it when his other hand came down hard on my ass. I yelped and then moaned.

"I think you like being a brat," he squeezed my ass and then slapped it again. My muscles clenched around his fingers and he slapped my other cheek. "Mmm I like how wet a spanking makes my girl. You like it, don't you?"

"Yes," I gasped and his hand came down again.

He pulled his fingers out of me and brought them around in front of my face. I sucked them like I would his cock, and with a slight shift, he entered me from behind. I moaned around his fingers, and his hand came down on my ass again. And then again as he slid in and out of me slowly.

I rocked my hips back toward him, and Eric pulled me upright. "Arms up, Sookie," he tugged my shirt up over my head when I lifted my arms.

He dropped my shirt somewhere and then his hands were on my breasts, cupping and kneading them gently. Eric sat back on his feet and brought me with him so I was sitting on his thighs. He started to thrust again and I turned my head as much as I could. His left hand came up and held my throat as his lips met mine. His kiss was as gentle as the thrusting of his cock inside me, and the movement of his tongue countered his lower half. It was all slow and gentle from that point on.

Eric's hands were all over me, as were his lips. Almost like he was reading my mind, he whispered in my ear, "I want to see your pretty eyes when you come, sweetheart."

I climbed off of him and turned around. Eric lay back, his head at the foot of my bed. I straddled his waist and lowered my head to kiss the side of his neck. He lifted my hips and aligned his cock with my opening. I moaned as I slid down, and dragged my teeth over his adam's apple. He cupped my ass, guiding me up and down on top of him.

I tasted every bit of his skin that I could before he pulled my mouth to his. Eric's hands came up and threaded in my hair, tilting my head this way and that, kissing me the way he wanted to. My hips rocked and ground against him, my clit rubbing against his pubic bone. I traced the defined V of his lower torso with my fingertips, and whimpered when he whispered sweet things in my ear.

It seemed to go on forever, but them his thumb was rubbing my clit again, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. Eric rolled us over and I wrapped my legs around him. He licked the side of my neck, tugged on my earlobe with his teeth and said, "Come for me, Sookie."

I did. Boy did I. I raked his back and called out to God, Jesus and anyone else who might be listening. I felt Eric swell inside me and then come too, with my name tumbling from his lips. He brushed my hair away from my face and kissed me softly before dropping down on top of me.

He nuzzled my neck and breathed me in. We stayed quiet for a while, just trying to catch our breath. Finally, Eric lifted his head and asked, "Still mad at me?"

"No. You were right; I was being a brat," I admitted.

He didn't gloat or rub it in. Instead he kissed me softly and said, "So I can keep your panties next time?"

I giggled and said, "We'll see. Maybe next time I won't be wearing any."

He growled and said, "Woman, you are going to be the death of me."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this chapter, in addition to being smutacular, also gives you a glimpse of what a moody bitch this Sookie can be sometimes. I swear, there were moments when we were writing this and both Scribe and I were like "wtf is her problem?," but it all worked out for the best. Sookie can be a handful sometimes, but Eric rolls with it very well. And at least Sookie can admit when she's wrong, which is a pretty big deal. That will come into play more in future chapters since we all know that fighting between couples is inevitable, and sometimes the fights are over the stupidest things. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	10. My Same

******And now a word from Scribeninja...**

***coughs* Hi, ladies. Eric here. Just wanted to let you know that I'm not German. I, uh, I think my dad's parents were Swedish, and my mom is blonde, so I look Nordic and all. I know a tiny bit of German because I took it in school. I have no idea why I shout out something in German at that... moment... but Sookie says I do, so I guess it's just another thing to love about me. Anyway... enjoy! **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 10: My Same<span>**  
><strong>

"_I thought I knew myself, somehow you know me more. I've never known this, never before. You're the first to make out whenever we are two._

_ I don't know who I'd be if I didn't know you."_ –_Adele _

After almost two weeks of sneaking around together, Eric and I decided it was time to try going out in public to a place that wasn't either of our places of employment. A movie seemed like a safe enough bet. Unfortunately, my boyfriend was a bit of a film snob, and I just didn't care that much. I didn't need fancy visual effects or amazing camera angles to be impressed with a movie. As long as the script didn't suck and I wasn't annoyed with the actors, the rest was gravy to me.

There was a theater over in West Chicago that played old movies, and we figured that would be the safest bet for us since it was out of the way and we wouldn't have to worry about running into someone we knew. Of course it would be easy to play off seeing a movie together. That was something friends did, right? No big deal. It just so happened that the movie playing in the theater that week was the original Star Wars movie, which was a real snoozer, in my humble opinion.

The look on Eric's face when I told him I thought the movie sucked was absolutely priceless. I realized that to a lot of people that was, like, the holy grail of film, but I just got bored to tears anytime someone put it on. I didn't see what the big fucking deal was, personally, and I told Eric so.

"Sweetie, we've been over this before. I think the movie blows," I shrugged, not all apologizing for my opinion. "Besides, you hate a lot of the movies I love. I don't care. We don't have to like all the same things."

Eric was pouting. He took it as a personal insult that I didn't agree with him about the magic of Star Wars.

"You must have been dropped on your head as a child."

"Pfffft... whatever, dude. I still think the movie sucks," I plopped down on his couch.

"Fine, I guess you don't have to like it, so long as I don't have to like those stupid rom-coms you love."

"Maybe one or two," I stretched out on my back. "Valentine's Day _is _coming up soon."

"Oh Jesus, save me now," said the man who had _The Notebook_ in his DVD collection. It was a gag gift from his thirtieth birthday, but still...

"You're such a drama queen," I rolled my eyes and turned on my side, my t-shirt riding up a little. "Besides, those movies put me in a certain mood."

"Oh do they?" he asked, his eyes going right to the newly exposed skin.

"Mmhmm."

"Is it a little insane how much I always want to do you?"

I laughed quietly and said, "I'd be more worried if you didn't."

I didn't have any makeup on. My hair was a mess. All I was wearing was a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants. There was absolutely nothing fancy about me at the moment, and Eric was still staring at me like a starving man being seated for a seven course meal.

"You always look so goddamn amazing. It's like there's some kind of sex magnet in you."

My hand trailed up and down my side, over my stomach and even under my hair behind my neck. "Well if there is, I don't know where it's hidden. Maybe you put it there."

"It's possible. I mean, it's not that you weren't attractive before. I always thought you were hot, but after having sex with you? I feel like I'll never get enough."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get sick of me eventually," I smirked.

"I doubt it. I've never felt like this before."

I rolled onto my back again and said, "Me either. Totally came from out of nowhere. Weird, isn't it? One day we're just friends and the next we can't keep our hands, or other parts, off each other."

"It is a little weird, but a good weird. I'm glad it happened. I like you, Stackhouse," he grinned.

"I like you too, Northman," I stretched like a cat and my t-shirt went way up. "Oops," I started to pull my shirt back into place, but he stopped me.

"Oh no you don't," he said, and suddenly he was on top of me.

"I don't know why I bother getting dressed," I shook my head and wrapped my legs around him.

"I don't know what I'm going to do when you get your period," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, you'll find out next week," I snickered. "I personally vote for snuggles."

"I'm good with that. I'll even give you back rubs and bring you chocolate," he smiled. "I'm a very understanding guy when it comes to periods. I figure the nicer I am to you while you're on it, the nicer you'll be to me when it's over."

"I'm always nice to you," I rocked my hips against his and he growled at me.

"Yes you are. You may be the best girlfriend ever."

"Sweet talker."

"What can I say, it gets me places."

I laughed again and said, "Yes it does." He gave me a sloppy, big smacking kiss and then put his head on my chest. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"I'm kind of tired. Want to stay in? I'll cook, and we can watch a movie."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I have to run home and take Sully out, though, or I'll have a big mess on my hands." Thankfully I only lived about five minutes away from Eric's house, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Okay. Any requests for dinner? I'll get it started while you're gone."

"Mmm... what's in the fridge?" I asked and pushed him up so I could go look. Eric followed right behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist while I looked in the fridge and then the freezer. "I see several options. Surprise me," I tilted my head back and smiled up at him.

"I hate making supper surprises. I'm always afraid you're going to hate it."

"As long you don't put mushrooms or mustard in it, we'll be fine," I promised him.

"Alright, I think I can come up with something. Now get going so you can get back faster."

"Yes sir," I winked at him, and started to pull away, but he pulled me back. "What?"

"I really, really like when you call me sir," he whispered in my ear.

I smiled and turned my face toward his, "Then I'll make sure I do it more often, _sir_."

"Mmm, you're awesome," he said, and kissed me.

What started out as a rather innocent kiss quickly started to spiral out of control, but I pulled away before he could rip my clothes off and have his way with me right there on the kitchen floor. He pouted for a few seconds when I stepped back. "Later," I promised and blew him a kiss before walking toward the front door with Eric following behind me.

"You know, I was thinking," he started. "If you don't think it'd mess him up too much, why don't you just bring Sully here on nights you want to sleep over?"

"Are you sure? I mean, Sully won't care, but do you want dog hair all over your house? I don't want it to be a bother to you," I said as I pulled on my boots.

"It won't bother me at all. I have a cleaning lady," he winked. "Then you won't have to leave earlier or run back to your place to let him out."

"You have a _cleaning lady_?" I lifted an eyebrow and pulled on my coat. "How did I not know this?"

"It's not a big deal. She's a nice, older lady who comes once a week to clean things up. Just light stuff. Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting..."

"You mean all the stuff your wife would do if you were married," I chuckled and zipped my coat. "You are such a single guy."

"I wouldn't expect my wife to clean everything."

"Of course not, but then again you don't really expect to get married either, do you?" I asked before I could stop myself. I meant it as a joke, but it was something we were going to have to talk about eventually. It was something I definitely wanted in my future, and Eric damn well knew it. We had only been a couple for two weeks, but we had known each other for ten years. We weren't following usual relationship protocols, but it was working for us so far.

"I... haven't really thought about it," he said, sheepish all of a sudden.

Shit. I wanted to kick myself for bringing it up. The fastest way to freak him out was to start talking about marriage. I wasn't entirely sure what his issues were with commitment, other than he had them. We were going to have to have that talk soon too.

"Eric, don't worry about it. Forget I even mentioned it," I put my hand on his chest and he looked a little nervous. "Really, the words just came out of my mouth before I could stop them. We don't have to talk about it right now. I'll just go get Sully, and we'll have dinner like we planned."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, we're good," I smiled up at him. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes. Dinner better be in the works, mister."

He smiled, which made me feel relieved. "It'll be ready by the time you get back."

I stretched up on my toes and kissed him before slipping out the front door. My car was parked in the driveway, and I was careful not to fall on my ass thanks to the dangerous black ice that slicked the pavement. The drive back home was quick, and Sully was thrilled to see me when I got there. He was even more excited when he figured out he was coming with me. I got his spare food and water dishes, some of his food and his leash all bagged up by the door. He followed me around the condo, tail wagging, while I grabbed a few things from my closet and dresser to bring back with me as well.

True to my word, I was back at Eric's house within twenty minutes, and with Sully in tow. Immediately, he was off searching the house and sniffing everything out. I found Eric in the kitchen, standing at the stove, stirring something in one of the skillets.

"Smells good in here," I walked over and looked down. "Sully's sniffing out his new turf."

"I'm surprised he's not in here already with the food smell," he laughed and bent to give me a kiss. "Tacos sound good?"

"Yes sir," I scrunched my nose at him just as Sully came into the room, nose to the ground, sniffing his way through the room. When he got to Eric's legs, his head popped up and he whimpered for pets. He was such a beggar sometimes.

"Hey Sully," he smiled down at him as he bent to pet him. "No human food for you."

Sully whined. It was oddly similar to a sound Eric might make if I told him no sex, and I couldn't help laughing for that reason alone. Man's best friend indeed.

"Where do you want me to put his food and water?" I asked while Sully continued to sniff around the kitchen.

"Wherever you want," he said. On the wood or tile though, preferably."

'I was thinking the laundry room, if that's okay with you? That way if he makes a bit of a mess it won't really matter," I suggested.

"Sure."

"Okay. Well I'll go get that set up then," I smiled and then called Sully to follow me so I could show him where his food was.

By the time I got back to the kitchen, Eric was pulling out plates and there was a small make your own taco buffet set up on the counter by the stove. It was impressive.

"Okay, you need to cook for me more often. I like the idea of you spoiling me," I teased as I stood beside him.

"I like spoiling you. You work hard, Sook. You deserve it."

"As long as I get to spoil you back," I nudged him with my hip.

"Do your worst. Just not right now, cause I'm starving."

"Me too," I took the plate he handed me.

"Then dive in."

"I'm gonna," I said and grabbed a taco shell.

We got our tacos the way we wanted them and then headed to the living room. Since I picked the movie last time, it was his turn. I braced myself for what he might come up with. We didn't really have the same taste in movies, obviously.

"Tonight, I have for you one of my favorite movies of all time. Are you ready?" he asked.

"I don't know. Is it going to put me to sleep?" I deadpanned.

"If The Dude puts you to sleep, we can no longer be together."

"No, the Dude doesn't put me to sleep. You're safe," I giggled.

"Awesome. Let's commence with _The Big Lebowski_ then."

I held his plate for him while he got the movie set up so Sully wouldn't think it was a snack for him. The tacos were delicious, and the movie was as good as it ever was. Sully looked at Eric with that questioning expression on his face like he wanted to know if it was okay to jump on the couch before he did it. I didn't mind, but this was Eric's house. He had to make the rules.

"Jump up here buddy," he said, patting the spot next to him.

Sully hopped up and made himself at home like he belonged there. Eric scratched him between his ears and I leaned into his other side. "What about me?" I looked up at him.

"Are you jealous of your dog, Sookie? Am I going to have to take back his invitation?"

"No, because I know for a fact that I have several things Sully doesn't that you like way too much."

"Plus, I'm not into bestiality."

"Good, because that's a definite deal breaker."

"Ditto," he smiled. "Now were you wanting some attention?"

"Always," I reached over him and scratched Sully's back.

"Wanna make out?"

"Always," I said again.

"Good deal," he grinned, and then he was kissing me.

Eric was just getting to a little hand under the shirt action when Sully jumped off the couch and started pacing back and forth in front of the sliding door. I didn't want to stop, but I didn't want Sully marking his territory indoors. "Eric," I whispered, but I think he just took that as a sign to go further.

"Sookie," he growled, and started pulling on the hem of my shirt.

"Eric, we have to stop," I pushed him back a little. "Sully's doing his pee pee dance."

"Oh..." he said, and sat back, then joked, "Maybe I should re-think the Sully invite."

"It's kind of like having a kid around," I straightened myself up a little and then got off the couch to let Sully outside. Eric stayed silent behind me for a moment. He looked troubled when I turned to go back to the couch. "You okay?"

"Do you want kids?"

"Yeah, I do," I sat down on the couch next to him. "Do you?"

"I don't know."

I wasn't surprised by his answer, but he was going to have to decide one of these days. I sighed and turned toward him so I was leaned against the back of the couch. I reached for his hand and traced along the back of it with my fingertip. "I don't need an answer on it right this second, but I do need to know where you stand on this issue eventually, Eric. This isn't something we can compromise on, and it's important to me."

"So if I decide I don't want kids, you'll break up with me?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I don't know. I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it."

I didn't want him to feel like he had to say he wanted kids just to keep me, but in all honesty, if he didn't want kids we would probably end up breaking up. I really hoped it didn't come to that, though.

"And marriage? I know you want that."

"Yeah, I do," I said softly. "Look, I know you have... issues. I knew that going into all of this, which was part of the reason why I kind of hesitated at first. I know what I want, but I'm not sure if you do, and I don't want you to feel like you have a gun to your head. These issues are too important for you not to decide for yourself what you want."

"Have I ever told you why I have my issues?" he asked, suddenly as serious as I'd ever seen him.

"No," I shook my head slowly.

"I was old enough when my dad died to remember what he and my mom were like together. They were very happy, and in love. If you were to believe in soulmates, they were it. I guess you could say that what I remember is just the ideal view of parents from a nine year old, but that's not it. When my dad died, my mom was... she was destroyed. It was like a whole part of her had died. She was miserable, she cried all the time, and it took her a long, long time to get over him. I'm not really sure she has. My grandmother used to tell me that my mom had a broken heart. I decided then and there that I never wanted to be in love if that's how it ended up."

"Eric, I'm sorry," I reached up and touched his face. He was fighting the tears in his eyes, and looked away from me thinking I didn't know they were there. "I can't imagine how awful it must have been for you to watch your mom suffer like that. The Angela that I know is tough as nails, so I can't see it in my head too well, but it doesn't have to end like that for you. Terrible things happen all the time, but if you keep out the bad, you're also keeping out the good."

"I just started shutting people out at such a young age. I don't know how to be any different. I never let myself dream of a future that involved marriage and kids."

I thought for a moment and then said, "Well, you're here with me. You're not running. That's a step in the right direction."

"But this is the first time I've done this. Isabel doesn't even count, because I never opened up to her like this. I trust you, Sookie, and I just hope you can have the patience to put up with my issues and not give up on me."

I leaned forward and kissed him slowly, my fingers playing in the hair at the back of his head just a little before I broke the kiss and pressed my forehead to his. "As long as you keep letting me in, I'm not going anywhere, Eric. The rest we'll figure out later, okay?"

"Okay," he said quietly. "Thank you."

"It's going to be okay, Eric," I rubbed the back of his head.

"I hope so."

"Look at it this way," I smiled, "if things between us don't work out, at least it'll be easier to talk to the next girl about this stuff."

He frowned. "I don't want to think about there being a next girl."

"Me either," I shifted onto his lap and hugged him around his neck.

"Want to go to bed now?" he asked.

"Sure. Just let me get Sully back inside," I climbed off his lap and headed for the glass door. It was fucking freezing outside. "Sully!" I called and he came trotting up onto the deck. "Shit, Eric, do you have an old towel, or something? His paws are all wet."

"Yeah," he said, and headed to the bathroom. He came back with what looked like a new towel, but didn't bat an eye as he handed it over.

"Eric, this is going to be covered with mud," I tried to hand it back but he wouldn't take it.

"It's fine. I don't really have any old towels, so this'll make my first one. It's Sully's towel," he said, smiling goofily.

I snickered and shook my head, then turned toward Sully and dried his paws before letting him into the house. "You better go thank Eric, mister," I patted Sully's back as he passed me.

"I actually have something for him that'll warm him up," he said, and went to his front closet.

I stood up and took the slightly muddy towel back to the laundry room to wash it by hand. When I came out Eric was kneeling on the floor but I couldn't see what he was doing since the couch was in my way. "If you're making out with my dog..."

"Nope," he laughed. "I got him booties for Christmas. There's also a dog bed. I figured we could put it in front of the fireplace."

"You got my dog a Christmas present?" I lifted an eyebrow. I walked around the couch to see what looked like little elf shoes on my poor dog's feet. "Oh God," I groaned. Poor Sully.

"Okay, I know you don't like human clothes on animals, but these will come in handy in the winter. And he doesn't have to wear them all the time. He likes them, Sook."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

"Oh calm down, at least his paws are warm now."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled something under my breath about wearing a nightgown to bed as I started toward the stairs, and found out just how good Eric's hearing was.

"You know there's a strict no clothes rule in my bed, Sookie."

"Yes sir!" I called and jogged up the stairs.

"Minx," he grumbled, but then took off after me.

I squealed and ran a little faster, grabbing my overnight bag off his bed and locking myself in the bathroom before he could catch me. No doubt Eric would take the door off the hinges to get to me if he really wanted to. "Oh look! I brought flannel!" I shouted.

"Put it on, and it gets ripped off," he warned through the door.

"Promise?" I said in a sing-song tone.

"I guarantee."

I pulled off my clothes and put on something else, but it wasn't flannel. It was red lace at the bust, and sheer beyond that. It left nothing to the imagination, really. I let my hair down and opened the bathroom door. Eric had his hands braced on either side of it, and when he saw me standing there he cleared his throat and looked me up and down.

"Sorry, it seems I forgot the flannel after all," I apologized and turned around slowly so he could see the whole thing.

"Oh. My. God."

"I should take this off, though, since you have that policy..." I trailed off.

"If you take that off, I will cry. In fact, I want you to wear that the whole time."

"I've never slept in it, but I guess I could," I shrugged.

"I meant the whole time we're fucking."

"So now would be a bad time to joke about not being in the mood then, huh?" I smirked, but Eric had me over his shoulder in no time. "Eric!"

"If you weren't in the mood, you'd have put on flannel," he said as he deposited me on the bed.

"If I wasn't in the mood I would just go home," I crossed my legs at my ankles.

"But you like my snuggles," he pouted.

"Yes I do," I nodded, and then got pounced on.

"You look so fucking sexy in this getup."

"Thank you. I bought it with you in mind. I think you'll really like what I got for Valentine's Day."

"I would be happy if you just re-wore this one," he said, then began to kiss down the line of my neck.

"I can return the other thing if you want..." I offered, and moved my head to give him better access to my neck.

"If it's hotter than this, don't you dare."

"You're going to have to be the judge," I tugged at his t-shirt.

"I'd be happy to judge," he said, and sat up so I could pull of his shirt. "Maybe you can even wear this one, we can fuck, then you can change into the other and we can fuck, then I can say which turned me on more."

"That doesn't sound like a bad plan," I dropped his shirt on the floor, "but no. You'll have to wait and see the other one on Valentine's Day."

"It'll be something to look forward to then," he smiled down at me.

"Yes sir," I reached for the fly on his jeans.

"Mmm, I love the sound of that."

I worked the zipper down on his jeans and looked up into his eyes. "Technically, I'm breaking your rule right now, but it's at your insistence."

"If you wear things like this, clothes are more than allowed, they're encouraged."

"Good to know," I grabbed his face and pulled him down on top of me. "You're not wearing boxers again."

"It's good to be prepared," he grinned.

**oOoOoOo**

Later that week Eric was able to get a night off so we could actually go out as planned. Not that staying in wasn't all kinds of fun for us both, but eventually we had to go out into the real world and do normal couple things. The drive to the theater took just over a half hour, thanks to Eric's lead foot, but the parking lot wasn't too full, which was a good sign.

I was completely prepared to take a nap, if need be. Spending time with Eric was what mattered, even if it was at a lame movie. We briefly argued over who was going to pay before he simply snatched my wallet out of my hands and held it over my head where I couldn't reach it. He didn't give it back until we were seated in the theater with a bag of popcorn on his lap and a large soda between us to share. I fully admit I was pouting a little.

"Come on, Sook. Give it a chance."

"Give what a chance?" I folded my arms over my chest.

"The movie."

"The movie isn't my problem," I huffed. I didn't really want to talk about it.

"What's wrong then?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it," I crossed my legs and looked away from him.

"Bullshit. You can sit there all pissed off, or you can tell me what you're upset about. Your choice."

I stayed quiet. I didn't really want to fight with him. I hated the tension between us though. It didn't feel the way it used to when we would bicker with each other. Before it would be no big deal. We'd say something stupid to one another, apologize and move on. Now it felt like this... hell, I don't even know how to describe it; it just felt wrong.

"You never let me pay for anything," I finally said.

"Oh," he said, and was quiet for a moment. "I didn't know it bothered you that much. I'm used to paying for everything with girls. I'm sorry, Sook, I'll let you pay for stuff if you want."

"I just don't want you thinking you have to do it. I appreciate it, but it isn't necessary," I looked over at him and he was smiling at me, which made me feel like an ass. "I'm sorry I was snippy."

"It's alright. Just let me know when you want to pay for something, it's fine. You gotta tell me when you're not cool with something."

"I know. You're right," I sighed, and gave up my ice queen posture.

"Are we good?" he asked, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, we're good," I rested my head on his shoulder. I sighed and said, "If only the movie could say the same."

"You need to learn good cinema."

"Snob."

"You still like me."

"Mostly," I smirked.

"Shhh now, the best movie of all time is about to begin."

I rolled my eyes, but kept quiet. It took all of five minutes before I started compiling a list of things that I thought would be more entertaining than the movie we were watching. My eyes closed when Eric started playing with my hair. I don't think he intended for me to nod off, but that was what happened, and he caught me.

"You did not just fall asleep during _Star Wars_," he whispered in my ear after he nudged me awake.

"You were playing with my hair," I stretched a little, and then snuggled against him again, my eyes closing a second time.

"And you are not going to fall back asleep either," he said. "At least make out with me if you're that bored."

I fought the smile that was threatening to break out when I asked, "What are we, fifteen?"

"I feel fifteen around you."

I put my hand in his lap and he shifted a little. "Ever had sex in a movie theater?" I whispered in his ear.

"Nope, but I have had sex in the projection room."

"What? How did you... when... what?" I couldn't even get my brain to function.

"My girlfriend at the time worked in the projector room. I was in college. It was kind of kinky because I could see all the people sitting in the theater."

"Interesting," I didn't know what else to say. "Is that the strangest place you've had sex?"

"No..."

"_No_?" I wasn't judging; I was curious.

"Um... I did it in a grocery store employee bathroom," he said quickly.

"Oh. My. God."

"Don't judge me."

"No, I'm not judging you!" I whisper shouted. "I'm just... I can't imagine being that... I just don't think I could ever do that."

"That's fine. It was the same girl both places. She was a bit of an exhibitionist, but I wasn't totally comfortable with it."

"So I should get my hand out of your lap right now?" I bit my bottom lip.

"Only if you want to, but I'll feel bad because you're not wearing clothes that allow me to reciprocate."

I looked around the theater and realized there weren't any people behind us. I got up and went to the back row in the far corner where we would sort of be out of the way. Eric stared at me from his seat for a moment before getting up and following me over to where I was and sat down next to me. I slouched down in my seat and unbuttoned my jeans. I looked over at Eric, whose eyes were wide, his mouth opening, then closing.

"You sure?" he asked.

I grabbed his hand and put it down my pants. "Yes."

"Jesus, you're wet," he whispered into my neck.

"I was thinking dirty thoughts before you woke me up," I gasped as his fingers found what they were looking for. I didn't mean to, but I moaned a little too loudly.

"You have to be quiet," he said.

"I'm trying," I put my hand over my mouth, but he pulled it away.

"No help, just stay quiet," he said, and kissed me roughly.

I didn't think about the fact that we were in a public place, or that we could get caught at any moment. Eric had a way of making me forget my surroundings, and that maybe I should better control myself. His fingers were fucking magical, and in no time at all, the kissing wasn't really doing much to stifle my moans. God bless him for trying, though.

"Eric," I panted, right on the edge of my orgasm. "Please," I whimpered as quietly as I could.

"Please what?" he whispered back.

"Please let me come," I nibbled at his neck.

"Since you asked so nicely," he said, and reclaimed my lips in another one of those kisses that made my toes curl and the rest of the world disappear while his thumb moved over my clit.

I exploded into what felt like a million pieces, and tried to keep quiet about it. Eric let out a satisfied growl, but that was about it. I so owed him, but didn't think I had the guts to do it in the middle of the theater. Maybe in the car on the way home, though...

"Thank you," I whispered when he withdrew his fingers.

"You know how to really thank me," he said, and sucked his fingers clean.

"I do," my shaking fingers fought with the button on my jeans. "I just don't think I'm brave enough to do it here."

"Oh," he said, and shifted in his seat, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Oh hell. I looked around again, attempting to take stock of what the chances were someone might walk by. At least I wasn't exposed when Eric had his hand down my pants, but for him it was another story. I didn't want to leave him hanging, but I just couldn't get myself to do it.

"When we get home," I promised him, but that didn't seem to make him feel better, and I couldn't blame him.

"It's fine," he said, giving me a small smile before turning back to the screen.

I sat there feeling guilty for the rest of the movie, trying to come up with a way to make it up to him. There was a limit to how frisky I could get, I guess. On the bright side, at least now Eric knew what that limit was. The movie seemed to drag on forever, and by the time it was over I felt like the worst girlfriend ever.

Just when I thought the night couldn't get any worse, a familiar voice was calling out Eric's name. We stopped and turned to see one of his bartenders approaching us. Of fucking course this was happening.

"Boss man, whatchu doin' all the way out here?" Lafayette walked toward us.

"Oh, hey Lafayette," Eric said. "Just came out to see Star Wars with my friend Sookie. She hates it, but she lost a bet, so I forced her to sit through it with me."

"We've met," I elbowed Eric in the ribs and went to give Lafayette a hug.

"Betchu didn't have to do much forcin', boss," Lafayette didn't bother to hide the fact that he thought Eric was hot. "I know I'd come willingly. Speakin' of, did y'all hear the cat in heat about two thirds of the way through? Bitch got off _good_."

The blush that wanted to rise was epic, but I took a bunch of deep breaths to try and talk it down. Thankfully, Eric was good at thinking on his feet because I would have just stammered a response.

"Thank God we weren't the only ones who heard her. It was so hard not to bust out laughing. Sookie had her hand over her mouth for like five minutes."

"Yeah, that was crazy," I said lamely and wished I could bury my face in Eric's chest. Where was that hole in the ground for me to jump into when I needed it.

"You should come by the bar more, Sook. We ain't been seein' you so much lately. You got a new man, or something?"

Fuck! Was it written on my forehead?

"Oh, no, just been busy with work, but it's slowing down. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me again soon," I smiled and looked from Lafayette to Eric.

"Yeah, she loves to dance. I promised her if she came by more often we'd find her a boyfriend."

"There's always Sam," Lafayette suggested, and I felt Eric tense a little beside me. "Girl, don't tell me you don't know about Sam."

"I know about Sam," I said awkwardly. "He's just not for me. He's sweet and all, but I uh, I want someone who's a little more... forceful, I guess." I couldn't believe I just said that. My face turned ten shades of red.

"Yeah, Sook needs a real man," Eric laughed.

"Okay, moving on from my pathetic romantic life," I glared at both of them.

"Child, you just need a good stiff one, and you'll feel better," Lafayette said, and I swear, I wanted to die right then and there. He had _no_idea what was waiting for me when we got to the car, but I was pretty sure I knew what was coming- no pun intended.

Eric laughed and said, "Well Sookie needs to get home to let her dog out, so we better get going. See you at work tomorrow, Laff."

"Drive safe, boss man," Lafayette said, and after I waved at him we turned and headed for the exit.

"Oh my God," I covered my eyes and it was a good thing Eric put his arm around my shoulders to steer me toward the car.

"It's alright, he didn't suspect anything."

"I don't care about that," I looked up at Eric as we reached his car. "I care about him announcing in the lobby of a movie theater that I need to get laid."

"Sorry," he said. "At least there was no one around you'll ever see again."

"That was just super awkward," I shook my head.

"It'll be okay," he said, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

"I know..." I sighed and got in the car. I reached over and unlocked Eric's door for him. Once he was inside I said, "I guess our first night out wasn't so successful, huh?"

"I wouldn't call it unsuccessful," he shrugged, and started the car.

"It wasn't the worst night I've ever had, but it could have been better," I stuffed my hands in my pockets. Stupid winter.

"Then we'll just try again."

"Yeah," I got quiet after that and just stared out the window for a while, watching the landscape as we whizzed past it.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Just thinking," I let my head roll toward him.

"About?"

"It feels weird to be hiding out, but I don't want to tell anyone about us either. I like things the way they are, but then I feel bad for lying. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it does," he reached over and took my hand. "If you want to come out with it at any time, we can, okay?"

I nodded and kissed his hand. "Yeah..." I trailed off.

"What now?" He was annoyingly on the ball at the moment.

"Does it bother you that we're not telling people?"

"Not really, but I've never really done the meaningful relationship thing, remember?"

"I know, but... you never have the urge to talk to someone about it? I mean, we talk about a lot of stuff, and I don't really have a lot of secrets from you, but there's just some stuff that you want to bounce off of someone else sometimes, you know? Missy knows about us... but...never mind. I'm rambling."

"It's okay. I never really want to talk to anyone about it because I never have anything to talk about. With you, I feel like I can just talk to you. Is that strange?"

"No," I said quietly, with a small smile that was aimed at my lap. "I'm glad you can talk to me."

"Me too."

We were quiet for a little while and when we came to a stop at a red light, I slid across the front seat and stretched up to kiss his neck. Eric shifted a little, but stopped moving when my hand was in his lap again. I was determined to pay him back for earlier.

"Hey, you don't have to do this," he said.

"I know. I want to," I tugged on his ear with my teeth.

"That's really awesome of you, but you really don't have to."

I pulled back and moved away from him. "Do you not want me to?"

He sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to, I just feel weird about it now. I mean, you didn't want to in the theater, so I feel like I kind of... made you let me do what I di- you know what? It doesn't matter."

"You didn't make me do anything," I mumbled. The car was full of all kinds of awkward tension.

"I just don't want you to do something you're not comfortable with, okay? You're not comfortable giving in public, so I won't make you."

"Fine," I slid the rest of the way over on the seat.

"Dammit, don't be mad, please?"

"I'm not mad," my voice cracked and I looked out the window. We were three blocks from his house.

"Shit, are you crying?"

"No," I said weakly and tried not to sniffle. I honestly didn't even know what I was crying about at that point.

"Hey," he said, and reached over, brushing his fingers against my neck. "I'm sorry. What happened in the theater just kind of hit my ego a little, and I lost the mood."

"It's fine, Eric," I said but didn't look at him.

"No, it's not. You're fucking crying, and I made you cry. It's not _fine_."

"And it's my own fault for being selfish. It's not your fault. Maybe you should just take me home," I sniffled and wiped my eyes.

Only instead of taking me home, he pulled into his driveway, and garage. He turned the car off, and pulled me across the seat to hug me.

"You weren't being selfish, you just weren't comfortable with it. I'm not saying it didn't suck, because getting you off turned me on like you wouldn't believe, but it's okay. I survived."

That's when the waterworks really started going. I don't know what the hell my problem was! I had cried more in the last month than I had my entire life. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered the very real possibility that it was PMS kicking my ass, but the crying thing was new. I sort of hated myself in that moment for making Eric feel any responsibility for whatever hormonal surge was causing this madness, but I couldn't turn it off.

"It's okay," he repeated, rubbing my back. "If it'll make you feel better, you can give me a blowjob in the shower."

I pulled back and looked up at him to see if he was serious. The goofy grin on his face won me over and I flung myself at him. "I don't know what's wrong with me tonight. I'm a mess."

"You _did_ say you were about to start your period, so..."

I couldn't believe he remembered that. I should have known better. Eric had a pretty good memory for the most inane details. Knowing when he was going to be benched for a week wasn't something he was likely to forget.

I sniffled and pulled back again, "I'm sorry I ruined things tonight. I swear I'm not usually like this."

"You didn't ruin anything. Besides, there's plenty of night left, and the shower blowjob offer still stands."

I laughed and then kissed him. "I think you earned it."

"Then, let's get you inside and de-snotified," he grinned, and got out of the car.

"Am I really that gross?" I asked as I followed him inside.

"Not gross, just a little wet on the face."

"That'll happen when you have a thermonuclear meltdown," I sniffled again and headed for the bathroom where I knew there was a box of tissues.

Eric went to let Sully out, since my dog was waiting patiently by the sliding door. I cleaned up my face, took off my coat and boots, and went to the living room to find Eric stretched out on the couch. Without thinking twice, I laid on top of him.

"Hi," I smiled, my eyes all puffy and probably red, too.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Turns out I have a really sweet boyfriend who lets me cry it out when I need to," I snuggled against him.

"Yeah, you do," he said, smugly.

"He also did something kinda dirty to me in a movie theater. If it's possible, I think I like him more now," I confided.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "How much more?"

"You mean on a scale of one to ten?"

"Sure."

"Well, when we left the house tonight I would say he was at a 7. I think now he's hovering somewhere around a nine point five, but it's not really an accurate scale," I smiled, enjoying the sound of his heart beating under my ear.

"He sounds like a kickass boyfriend."

"He is... except he turned down road head," I wasn't going to let that go anytime soon. What guy turned that down?

"I think he had a bruised ego at the time though. I'll bet if you catch him on a really great day, he wouldn't turn it down."

"Maybe. Hopefully it wasn't a onetime offer," I sat up and straddled him.

"Definitely not," he said, his hands going to my hips.

"You know," my hips rocked a little and his eyes got darker. "Someone told me earlier that I needed a big stiff one. Got any idea where I could find one?"

"I do," he growled. "If you open my pants, you'll find it."

Of course Sully picked that moment to start whining at the door and I nearly fell over laughing. "My dog seems to like cockblocking you, sweetie."

"It's okay. I really had my heart set on that shower blowjob, so you get your dog, and I'll meet you in there," he grinned.

"Yes sir," I smiled and climbed off his lap.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so this chapter it was all kinds of interesting to write. We got some answers as to why Eric is so gun shy when it comes to giving his heart away, there were the theater lemons and then the visit from the PMS monster at the end. In all fairness, I warned you that Sookie gets moody sometimes. This is a stellar example of that. But I have to say, as crazy as she can be at times, that's part of what made her so fun to write. Because she was a bit of a roller coaster character we never really knew what her reaction was going to be. This is where it comes in handy that Eric isn't really a new guy in her life. He's seen her get all squirrely like this before, he's just not used to being the one who feels like he's gotta pick up the pieces when she falls apart. So that's new. Oh, and for those of you that are turned off by the idea of Eric calling Sookie "sweetheart" let me just say that when I heard it in my head while we were writing, I heard it with a bit of sass, like when Eric called Sophie-Anne that when he told her to go fuck herself. He means it when he calls Sookie that, but he is no wet blanket. Hopefully that clears the air a little. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	11. More Than Words

**Right, so the start of this chapter is definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK so read at your own risk. **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: More Than Words<span>

"_All you have to do is close your eyes and just reach out your hands and touch me. Hold me close don't ever let me go. More than words is all I ever needed you to show. Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, cos I'd already know." –Extreme _

I tried to avoid the big mirror in Eric's bedroom but that wasn't exactly possible. I wasn't just a mess, I was a hot mess. I knew Eric didn't hold it against me that I'd had a mini meltdown, but I felt bad for it. But then I shook myself out of it. If I could look the way I did, and behave the way I did, and Eric still wanted me I figured it either meant he was really horny, or he really did care about me a lot.

If I was really lucky, it was both. I stripped off my clothes and went to the bathroom. The shower was running and the room was full of steam. I didn't know what it was with Eric and shower sex, but he really seemed to like it. Then again, Eric liked any kind of sex. The location didn't matter.

I opened the glass door and stepped into the stall that was big enough for at least three people. He stared at me with an appraising smile on his face, and then moved over so he wasn't hogging all the water. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my head against his chest. We stood there without moving or speaking for a while. It was a nice, comfortable silence.

"Everything okay?" He finally broke the silence.

"It will be when you kiss me," I looked up at him.

Eric lifted me off the ground and my legs wrapped around his waist. He pressed me against the wall of the shower and kissed all over my face, starting with my eyes, and eventually got to my lips. He kissed the corners, then my top lip and finally my bottom lip. He kissed the tip of my nose and then went back to my mouth. He licked my lip and my mouth opened a little. My tongue brushed against his, and then he kissed me deeply.

My arms around his neck got a little tighter, and my chest was pressed to his. Eric threaded his fingers in my hair and rocked his hips against mine. I could feel him growing harder and I reached down to stroke his cock. He somehow managed to deepen the kiss further, and I moaned into his mouth. The hand that was holding me up shifted until his fingers were teasing my folds.

I unwrapped my legs from around his waist and Eric slowly set me down. I broke the kiss, and instead put my mouth to work on his nipples. He growled his appreciation, and let me turn him so his back was against the wall instead of mine. I kissed my way down his torso, running my teeth over his abs, and then licking a trail past his belly button.

I sank to my knees in front of him and smiled up while I stroked him. My mouth opened and my hands went to his hips to hold onto him. His cock slid into my mouth like it belonged there, and I started to suck. My head moved back and forth, my cheeks hollowing a little so I could suck harder.

"Touch yourself, Sookie," he held my hair away from my eyes. "Make your pussy nice and wet for me."

I moaned around his shaft, and reached down to do as he asked. My fingers easily slid through my folds, and found my clit. I moaned again and released his cock so I could give a little attention to his balls. He growled a little and I looked up into his eyes again.

"Are you wet for me, sweetheart?" He purred, touching my face gently.

"Yes sir," I said and started stroking his cock again.

"Let me taste you, Sookie," he groaned.

I lifted my hand for him so he could lick my fingers. I started swirling my tongue around the head of his cock as he sucked my fingers clean. He moaned around them, his tongue going between them.

"You taste so fucking good, Sookie," he said when he released my fingers. "Don't make yourself come. That's my job," he told me and I wondered what he would do if I disobeyed him.

But I had already been a brat and this was supposed to be about him. I had gotten mine at the theater. As I worked on pleasing him, I thought about his fingers inside me and his mouth on mine, swallowing my moans to keep us from getting caught. I had never done anything like that before and there was a definite thrill that came with doing something like that. It struck me that I couldn't have done that with anyone else, and would never do again if I wasn't with Eric. That would be something that was just between us.

"Sookie..." He growled my name and I looked up. His eyes seemed like they were almost glowing, even with as dark as they were.

His cock swelled in my mouth, getting a little harder, and my hand moved just behind his balls and pressed the skin there lightly. He shouted incoherently and then came. I moaned as he released in my mouth and I knew he felt me swallow because he jerked and said something in German that I couldn't understand.

I released him from my mouth and kissed his lower stomach while he tried to catch his breath. Eric pulled me up off my knees, cupped my face and kissed me roughly. My hands settled on that gorgeous ass of his and squeezed a little. Eric broke the kiss, brushed his lips over my forehead and said, "Thank you, sweetheart."

I smiled and said, "You're welcome."

We stood under the water for a while and then washed up. When we got out of the shower, we brushed our teeth and I went to the bedroom to sit down and braid my hair. My fingers worked quickly, and I French braided my hair without a mirror. I had enough practice at it that I didn't need it. Eric came out of the bathroom as I was banding the little tail that was left.

I deposited my towel on the floor, which I knew would bug him, and got into bed. Eric narrowed his eyes at me, but picked up the towel and hung it up in the bathroom. Sully came trotting into the bedroom and lay down on the floor on my side of the bed near the heat vent.

Eric climbed into bed behind me and kissed my shoulder. I smile and closed my eyes. I expected he would just spoon up behind me after he turned off the lights, but instead he rolled me onto my back and closed his mouth around my nipple. I moaned and ran my fingers through his hair.

"It's late, Eric," I whispered.

"I need to taste you, Sookie," he told me and parted my legs.

I would be a fool to say no, and let Eric do what he wanted. He knew my body well enough by that point that it didn't take long for him to have me writhing on the bed, pleading with him to finish me. His fingers pumped in and out of me, stroking my sweet spot until just before I came, and then he used his tongue instead, licking up my juices when I came.

He kissed his way up my body and stopped when he got to my breasts. He rested his head there and I wrapped my arms around him, my fingers in his hair. He kissed my chest and said, "Goodnight, Sookie."

"Night, Eric," I whispered back and kept stroking his hair until I fell asleep.

**oOoOoOo**

I woke up the next morning feeling like my uterus was trying to turn itself inside out. I groaned quietly and slipped out of bed. Aunt Flo was giving me the usual early warning of her arrival. To top that off, I had a headache that felt like my skull was trying to crush my brain. I went to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth.

Eric was still out cold when I came out of the bathroom. Sully was MIA, so I grabbed some clothes, got dressed and went in search of my dog so I could let him out. I found Sully asleep in the living room on the dog bed by the fireplace. I kept walking toward the kitchen, and breathed a sigh of relief when I located the bottle of Aleve in my purse. A glass of water, two pills and a prayer later, I was starting a pot of coffee.

I booted up my laptop and got myself set up at the kitchen table to get some work done while Eric was sleeping. My corporately paid for Blackberry was set to turn on and off for business hours, and I only used the phone for business purposes. Sully came trotting into the kitchen as I was pouring myself a cup of coffee and sniffed around my legs.

"Morning, Sull," I bent and scratched his head. He licked my wrist and nuzzled my legs. Sully was such a lover first thing in the morning.

I got a little into my email before he started whimpering to go out. As expected, I had an inbox full of questions about the changes in benefits. No sooner did my Blackberry boot up than it started ringing. Impatient store managers all wanted their questions answered at the same time. It was slightly frustrating since the answers most of them wanted were included in the paperwork I sent out if they had bothered to read it.

I got down two cups of coffee, answered half a dozen calls and returned about a dozen emails before Eric came downstairs with a grouchy expression on his face. His bedhead was adorable, and he looked delicious in the plaid pajama pants he was wearing. His kitchen table was a mess with all of my work stuff spread out on it, but I doubted that was the cause of his sour puss.

"No, Claire, it's fine. Anytime you have questions just give me a call or shoot me an email," I said as cheerfully as I could while Eric stalked around the kitchen. "You have a good weekend, too," I finished and hung up.

Another round of cramps hit me and I whimpered. Fucking uterus.

"Morning, Eric," I smiled up at him as he poured a glass of milk.

"Errrgh," he grunted.

"What's with you?" I got up and went to give him a hug.

"I had plans for this morning and you weren't in my bed," he pouted.

"Sorry. I wasn't feeling well so I thought I'd come down here and get some work done," I explained while he kissed the top of my head.

"What's wrong?" he rubbed my back.

"Headache, cramps, the usual..."

"Oh. Anything I can do?"

"No, not really, but thanks for asking," I smiled up at him and gave him a kiss.

I had to breakaway when my Blackberry started ringing again. I fielded calls while Eric started making pancakes from scratch. The smell of sizzling bacon was distracting, and I left the kitchen to keep from stealing pieces while they were draining. Eric came in while I was on my third call and let me know breakfast was ready. It took a few minutes before I could get off the phone, but I walked into the kitchen to find Eric sitting on the island eating his pancakes.

"You put chocolate chips in mine?" I looked up at him, pleasantly stunned.

He grinned and said, "I told you I would give you chocolate."

Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

"There's whipped cream in the fridge if you want it," he offered.

Okay, he was _so_ getting laid. There were all kinds of ways to thank him, but sex was his favorite method. I got the can of Redi-Whip out of the fridge and thought of all the places I could put it besides my pancakes. I hopped up onto the island beside him and dug into my chocolaty breakfast. My phone rang while we were eating, but I let it go to voicemail.

Working from home didn't mean I got the day off. Hell, I did more at home some days than I did at the office. I had fewer distractions at home. Of course that was before Eric, who had an insatiable appetite where sex was concerned. Concentrating wasn't easy with him walking around shirtless. Until we started sleeping together I had no idea he had an aversion to clothes. Ever since Mexico he was at least a part-time nudist.

Eventually he had to get ready for work. Friday nights were always crazy at the bar. I couldn't wait for Pam to get back so Eric didn't have to be there, or at least on-call quite so much. I had planned on catching Eric in the shower before he left, but I ended up taking a call that lasted a half hour. I was still on the damn phone when Eric came in and kissed me goodbye.

"Hey, Larry, hang on a minute," I muted the call and turned to Eric. "Sorry I haven't really been available this morning. I'll try to come up and see you later."

"Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll be here when I get home," he had that wicked look in his eyes.

"I'll do what I can," I shrugged and smiled up at him. He leaned down to give me one of those kisses that made my insides go all gooey.

It was a good thing Eric liked making out so much. We would be doing a lot of it in the next week. I didn't walk Eric to the door because I knew we would just end up kissing goodbye again, so he left me in the kitchen. I got back on the phone with Larry and started to plot my way of thanking for breakfast.

**oOoOoOo**

It was close to eight o'clock by the time I got to the bar, and as expected, it was busy. I checked in with the hostess to find out where Eric was instead of milling about trying to find him. It was just my luck that he was back in his office, so that's where I headed. I still wasn't sure how I was going to thank him, but something would come to me. I knocked on the door and waited for some sort of response to come from inside.

"Come in," he called.

I opened the door a little and peeked in. "Hi," I smiled at him. "Busy?"

"A little, but I could use a distraction."

"Rough night?" I stepped into the office and closed the door behind me.

"Yeah, the inventory was off, I have to change the order, the schedule still needed to be done, and I'm so ready to pull my hair out."

"Awww, sweetie," I pulled off my coat, and walked around to the other side of the desk. I stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. "Don't do that. If anyone is going to pull your hair out, it's me," I leaned down and kissed his neck.

"And for very, very different reasons," he sighed.

"You know it," I kept rubbing. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You could keep rubbing my shoulders, because it feels amazing."

"Deal," I pressed my thumbs into the muscles closer to his neck and he groaned. "Jesus, you're all knots."

"I never met anyone who could give a good massage, but your fingers are like heaven," he said, and groaned. "Jesus in heaven, don't ever stop."

"If anyone is listening at the door they're not going to think you're getting a back rub in here," I chuckled, and applied a little more pressure.

"I don't care what they think, it feels too good," he said, and put his head down on his desk.

I worked a little lower and I was starting to wonder if he'd fallen asleep when the phone in his office rang, and he reluctantly picked his head up. I stepped back to let him answer the call without worrying about groaning into the receiver.

"Eric," he answered, then paused while the other person spoke. "Eighty-six it. No, I'm not sending anyone out to buy some. I don't care, tell them that we're very sorry that we ran out, that it was popular tonight, and we will have more tomorrow so they should come back then. If they put up a fight, comp their bill. Yes, be nice."

He hung up, and put his head back down. "Resume please."

I couldn't help laughing, and got right back to it. "It'll be better when Pam gets back," I reminded him.

"Yes it will. The waitresses are afraid of her. They think they can come to me with their drama, and their request offs, and I fell for it at first, but now I understand why they all hate Pam. She doesn't put up with it."

"I'm glad I don't have to deal with that crap either. Although, if it helps, I do get plenty of stupid emails and phone calls from people who could answer their own questions if they read the information in front of them," I said as my hands moved lower.

"That's the worst," he agreed. "We'll put up a paper with an announcement on holiday pay or something, and get at least five people asking questions when the answer was on the paper."

"I was bad earlier," I sighed as I reached his lower back.

"You were?"

"I was," I pressed my thumbs into his lower back and he groaned again. "I turned my phone off before business hours were over. I just couldn't take another phone call. My head was pounding when I woke up this morning and it hasn't let up since."

"Then I promise that when we get home, I'll be the one giving you a massage," he said.

"I think by the time we get home I'm just going to want to crawl into bed and pass out," I said quietly. I didn't need to see his face to know there was a little disappointment there since he hadn't been able to carry out whatever he had planned for me that morning.

"And you can pass out while I'm giving you a massage if you want, but you're getting one."

"If you insist," my hands started traveling back up toward his neck. "How late do you think you'll be here tonight?"

"Once I finish inputting this order I'll be good to go, so... another forty-five minutes or so."

"Want me to leave you alone so you can finish up?" I offered and took my hands off him.

"You can either sit on my couch and read my magazines, or you can keep rubbing my shoulders while I finish, but I would prefer it if you didn't leave."

"Well in that case..." I got back to rubbing his shoulders, but when he didn't start working on his order, I stopped again.

"Alright, alright, I'll work," he said, and picked up a piece of paper in front of him and started inputting item numbers on the computer. "You don't really have to rub my shoulders the whole time though."

"I don't mind, but if it's too distracting, just say so," I scratched the back of his head.

"It's not distracting at all, I just don't want you to have to stand there for almost an hour if you don't have to."

"I promise if my hands get tired, I'll stop," I kissed the top of his head and rubbed his shoulders for him.

Eric continued to work on whatever it was he was doing, and I lasted for another twenty minutes or so before my hands started cramping. I shook them out and flexed them a few times before walking around to the other side of his desk and curling up on the couch with a recent edition of EW. I heard a little growl come from the other side of the room and I looked up to see Eric staring at me with that intense look in his eyes.

"What?" I closed the magazine.

"Your sweater," he said.

I looked down trying to figure out what was so remarkable about it. It was just a black v-neck. There wasn't anything fancy, as far as I could tell. "What about it?"

"Boobs."

"Good Lord. Do I need to put my coat on?" I rolled my eyes.

"No. Just wear it backwards until I get done with my work."

I snorted. "Seriously?"

"Maybe."

"I have a better idea," I switched directions so my back was to him. "Better?"

"Ass."

"Are you calling me an ass, because you can't see _see_my ass from there," I said without looking over my shoulder at him.

"I can see your ass."

"Well that wouldn't be an issue if you would get back to work," I said in a disinterested tone.

"Fine, I'll work," he sighed, and then I heard the tapping of his keyboard again.

"Good boy," I said with a smile he couldn't see.

I went back to reading some article that left my brain about as fast as it entered, and I was dangerously close to nodding off when Eric announced that he was all done. My eyes popped open and I turned around again to face him.

"You might have to drive me home," I said and yawned.

"I can do that," he said as he straightened out the papers on his desk. Clutter annoyed him so much.

"Leaving my car here won't be a problem, will it? I don't need it getting towed for illegal parking or some shit," I muttered and rubbed my temples. Fucking headache was killing me slowly.

"Nope, just park it around back in the employee section."

"Okay," I stood up and stretched, my arms going up over my head and back arching.

"Getting through the next week is going to suuuuck," he said, and when I put my arms down, I realized he was staring at me like he wanted to devour me.

"I think you'll survive," my voice came out a little on the timid side. Him looking at me like that was... well, it did things, that's for sure.

"I will," he agreed. "Now let's get out of here so I can get you to bed."

"Yes please," I bent and picked up my coat.

Of course getting out of the bar wasn't as easy as it should have been. Eric got stopped three times on his way out, and by the time we reached the parking lot I thought he was going to punch something. He was wound tight for some reason, and I waited until I had moved my car and was safely encased in his before I asked.

"Are you okay? You seem... touchy," I said as he pulled out of his parking space.

"I do?"

"Yeah. You looked like you were ready to punch Clancy."

"Clancy is the idiot that fucked up the inventory."

"Oh."

"I guess I'm wound a little tight from this morning still. And I don't mean it's your fault, I'd just had dreams all night of... racy, sexy things, and I woke up to a cold bed and really bad morning wood."

"I'm sorry," I slid over on the seat so I was right next to him. "Wanna tell me about it?" I drew little patterns on his knee.

"About the dreams?"

"Yeah."

"Oh no. Not when we can't do anything about them."

"We aren't that far from home," my hand moved up his leg a little and he shifted. "Besides, I read that orgasms are good for cramps."

I was probably going to regret telling him that.

"Oh yeah? Then I guess... wait, you're not bleeding yet?"

"Nope, not that I know of."

He smiled. "In my dream, we were on the beach."

"What were we doing?" I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Fucking, obviously."

I snorted and said, "Sounds romantic."

"It was actually kinda rough and wonderful. And somehow, through magic I think, sand wasn't getting in any... crevices."

"That's the great thing about dreams," I sighed. "I'm sorry it didn't work out in Mexico, but there's always the beach next summer. If memory serves, you have a birthday coming up during that particular season."

"As do you," he said. "And we will definitely be having beach sex. Are you sure you want to go through with it though? I mean, that's pretty public."

A cramp ripped through me that made me wince and I said, "Ask me again in the summertime."

"No sex tonight. You're getting a massage, the heated blanket, and bedtime."

"Yes sir."

"Want more chocolate chip pancakes in the morning? Or cinnamon rolls?"

"Would it be greedy if I said both?" I laughed. To hell with calories.

"I could do both."

"Good. My sweet tooth sort of gets out of control," I blushed a little, although I don't know why. I do, however, now understand why I couldn't get enough of him in Mexico. Well, at least in part.

"I'd be happy to cater to your sweet tooth," he said. "I don't get why guys don't do nice things for their girls when they're on their periods."

"I couldn't tell you," I let my eyes close.

It wasn't long before we pulled into Eric's driveway. The car paused while he waited for the garage door to open, and then he pulled forward to park. The door came down behind us, and Eric was gently shaking me awake.

"I'm not sleeping," I whispered, although I was definitely close to it.

"Go on up and get ready for bed," he said. "I'll let Sully out."

"Have I told you you're the best boyfriend?" I asked with a sleepy smile.

"I'm not sure I'll get tired of hearing it," he smiled, and gave me a quick kiss.

We got out of the car and I went upstairs while Eric went to let Sully out. By the time he came up I was already stretched out on his bed, having ditched my jeans and sweater for a pair of boyshorts and a wifebeater. I knew he was there when I heard him groan in the doorway behind me.

"Did you want me topless for this?" I turned my head and smiled a little.

"Nope, cause then I definitely won't keep my promise."

"I'm pretty sure I'll be out cold within the next ten minutes," I warned him as he climbed up onto the bed.

"Then just relax and let me work my magic."

"Magic, huh?" I smiled again while he moved my hair out of the way. He straddled me and moved my arms where he wanted them before his fingers finally pressed into the muscles near my neck. Okay, so he wasn't exaggerating. I moaned loudly and I felt him tense up a little.

"Why didn't I factor in the moaning?"

"Because if you did you would have changed your mind?" I suggested and then moaned again when he found another good spot.

"True. And please don't be offended when I go to the bathroom to rub one out after you fall asleep."

"You didn't need to tell me that," I laughed quietly, and squirmed a little underneath him.

"Just being honest."

"I know. I don't mind, by the way. If the situation was reversed, I'd probably do the same thing," I admitted.

"Good to know," he chuckled, and kept rubbing.

"Okay, you might have to do this more often," I moaned again. Really, I wanted to roll over and pounce on him.

"Whenever you want it, just say so."

"You're earning best boyfriend points all over the place," I said in a sleepy voice.

"I'll have to save them up for use at an opportune moment."

"That's a good idea. I'm sure we'll have a real fight at some point." I wasn't looking forward to that. Bickering was one thing but real fights fucking sucked.

"I hope not, but I'm sure it'll happen."

"It's inevitable. Couples fight, and you and me... we're just different enough that we could have some real doozies," I sighed, and then moaned again when he found yet another spot that made me go all jelly on the inside. "Jesus, that feels good."

"But the make-up sex..."

"I won't be able to walk for days."

"Indeed."

"And you may have to call in a contractor to fix some structural damage to your house," I teased.

"You planning on destroying some walls or something?"

'Maybe," I tried to shrug, but that didn't work out so well.

"Maybe I'll fuck you through a wall."

"That would probably put me in the hospital, sweetie," I pointed out.

"Then I promise not to do it."

"Good idea. You'd be benched for longer than a week if that happened."

"We'll see how I survive this week, and then I can tell you how awful that would be."

"I'm sure I can find ways to keep you from getting too bent out of shape. I think you'll be fine," I practically purred when he got to my lower back.

"Feel nice?" he asked.

"Mmhmm..." If I said anything else it was just going to come out dirty, and that would do little to keep Eric from breaking a promise he had made more to himself than he had to me.

"Good."

I don't know how much longer Eric was rubbing my back for since I fell asleep a short time later. I woke up feeling like I was lying on the sun, and realized Eric had been serious about the heated blanket. I kicked it off and considered rolling around in the snow in his backyard. Instead I flopped onto my back to find Eric sleeping naked next to me.

I turned on my side and propped one of my legs on his. I scooted a little closer so I was sharing his pillow, and draped my arm over his chest. I heard the jingling of Sully's tags, and then saw fur moving from the doorway to Eric's side of the bed. When the fur disappeared and the jingling stopped, I was sure Sully had lain down. My eyes closed again and I dropped back into sleep.

_I stood in the parking lot of the bar with a confused look on my face. My care was gone. In spite of Eric's bar being in Schaumburg, the second I stepped off the bar's property limit I was back in my hometown some twenty miles away from there. I was walking down Ottawa Avenue, staring at the nearly identical bungalow style houses that I could have sworn were made by cookie cutters instead of construction workers. Cars were parked up and down the street on either side, leaving enough room for a car and a half to pass between them. Driving in Norridge was always something to be done with finesse and a prayer. Lord help me if my guardian angel was on vacation, or out for a smoke break._

_I passed by the Lutheran church on Oriole Avenue, and paused to stare up at my old elementary school. It always reminded me of the school in The Wall, which my father thought was particularly amusing. Just by thinking it, I was on the other side of the wrought iron gate that kept the trespassers out. All of the playground equipment was suddenly just as it was when I was a kid, back before everything was plastic or plexi-glass. Back in the late eighties/early nineties it was all still metal. I couldn't count the number of times I burned my legs on the slide, or got a sliver from the wooden merry-go-round that had once been in the northwest corner of the playground. Oh, and it was all blacktop, none of that soft matting or woodchips either. When you fell, you scraped the shit out of your limbs._

_Somehow I survived. Imagine that._

_I thought myself back to the other side of the gate and walked toward my parents' house over on Octavia Avenue just across from the mall. The streets were oddly empty, considering it was the middle of the day. I could smell the familiar scent of Maurice Lenell cookies baking in the air. A piece of newspaper blew past me, and for some reason I chased after it to see the date on it. I gasped when it read April 28__th__, 1987. I was only four years old back then. _

_Time jumping in dreams was fucking weird. I walked over to my parents' house and smiled at the chalk drawings on the sidewalk. The railings that guarded our front steps were painted rusty red color, in spite of the house being a sandy, pale yellow color. The awning that hung over the front room window was rusty, and white with a pair of green stripes on it. The old pine tree in the front yard stood much taller than our house did. _

_I didn't go in through the front door, and instead headed for the gate at the side of the house. The chainlink clattered as I pulled the gate open. A bark I hadn't heard since I was nine-years-old echoed in my ears, and our old dog, Helma, came trotting toward me as if it hadn't been twenty years since I had seen her last. She had been a police dog, but hip dysplasia had retired her from the force, as was common with pure bred dogs like her. I remembered the spot on her neck that she loved to have scratched, and I knelt down to scratch it. _

_She licked my cheeks and nuzzled against me the way she always had. As a little child, Helma had taken a very protective stance, and had bitten Jason more than once for picking on me. Helma was the pair of eyes my mother needed with Jason around. I had loved that dog to the moon and back, and I had cried myself to sleep for a week when we had to put her down. I didn't understand why God couldn't fix her, or why it would be better to let her live with the angels. My selfish nine-year-old heart just wanted my dog back._

"_How've you been, old friend?" I scratched her head and she made a noise that somehow let me know she was okay. I patted her affectionately and let her lead me around the yard, and out the back gate that put us in the alley. "Where are we going, Helma?"_

_She jerked her head to the left and we walked a short distance before coming to a stop at the back gate of Alcide's parents' house. My breath caught in my throat. I hadn't been there for… God, I made it a point to avoid the Herveaux's house anytime I was in town. They lived practically right across the alley from us so their house faced out on Odell Avenue the next block over. I lost count of the number of nights Alcide and I had met in the alley, stealing kisses or talking about what we were going to do with our future. _

"_What are we doing here, Helma? Alcide and I aren't together anymore," I told her and she whimpered. "I know. It hurt me, too, for a long time."_

_I wondered what she knew of my life. Had she really been watching over me like Mom had said she would? I had no idea if that was the case, but we started walking again. We crossed Montrose without a single person or car appearing to hinder or progress. The baseball field was empty. There were no cars in the parking lot. It was like Helma and I were all that was left in the world. _

_But then I looked in the distance, and there on the football field was my car. It looked completely out of place in the 1980's redux I was trapped in. My car was twenty-two years ahead of its time. Back then I remembered my mother drove a Ford station wagon, perfect for toting her kids from one activity to the next. Dad had a motorcycle in the garage that he hardly ever rode anymore thanks to a back injury he got three days after my second birthday. The rest of the time he drove a slightly beat up Chevy that had since been discontinued from production. I couldn't remember the make of it._

_The closer I got to the car, the smaller I became until finally I was just a little girl. I was all long limbs and shiny pigtails. No way could I actually get behind the wheel of the silver Jeep and drive it back into the future like I wanted to. I wanted Eric, and he was nowhere to be seen. I was alone. All that was left was Helma, the ghost of a dog that had been dead for most of my life. I felt my eyes well with tears, not knowing how to get myself out of the mess I was in._

_There was a growl behind me and I turned to see a dark, chocolate brown wolf stalking toward me with glowing pumpkin colored eyes. I had never felt so small or defenseless. Helma, always my protector, bared her teeth and took up a protective stance in front of me. If that wolf wanted me, it was going to have to go through her. I backed away, staring at the tension in my beloved dog's haunches. She was wound tight and ready to go, no signs of the dysplasia that had caused her so much pain._

_The wolf launched itself into the air, ready to do battle for its next meal. Only the body changed in mid-air and became Alcide. Helma disappeared from view, and just as Alcide was about to knock me back on my ass…_

I woke up suddenly, gasping for air. Purely out of reflex I adapted a defensive pose to keep the wolf from attacking my face. My airs were raised to cover my head, but when I wasn't attacked, I let them down to see I was back in Eric's bed. My heart was racing and I looked to my left to see that I was alone.

The smell of cinnamon and coffee filled the air. I relaxed a little and fell back onto the bed. I took a series of deep breaths and rubbed my eyes. That was some fucked up hot mess. I blew a breath out and slowly rolled out of bed to get back to my future.

* * *

><p><strong>Admittedly, that dream is fucked up in a big way but I promise it has significance. Also, the locations mentioned in that dream are based on real places since I grew up in Norridge. It's literally across the street from Chicago. One side of Irving Park Road is Chicago and the other is Norridge. It's weird. And the house I'm basing Sookie's parents' house on used to be my grandparents' house before they moved. SOOO much easier to write when you use real locations, believe you me. When Scribe was here last summer I showed her the school in question. I told her it reminds me of the school in Pink Floyd's, the Wall. I'm not kidding. But anyway... those of you looking for plot advancement are you about get some. Scribe and I just thought they deserved a little honeymoon period before shit starts to get real. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	12. You and Me

******I think Seamstress will appreciate the beginning of this chapter a little, but it isn't quite what I meant in my review response, but it's a start. Beware the beginning of the chapter is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12: You and Me<span>

"_There's something about you now I can't quite figure out. Everything she does is beautiful. Everything she does is right. 'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose. And it's you and me and all other people, and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you." –Lifehouse _

A quick stop in the bathroom told me that Aunt Flo hadn't arrived yet, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew I was on borrowed time, but I was going to make the most of it. That dream shook me up. I don't know why my subconscious was so invested in Alcide all of a sudden. I hadn't given him much thought in the last year or so. Every now and then I would hear a song on the radio, or something would pop into my mind that would make me think of him, but I had long ago given up the pining.

Getting over him had been insanely difficult, but I did it. Now I wouldn't go back to him if someone paid me to do it. I didn't get that pain in my chest anymore whenever someone mentioned his name to me, and when I thought about Eric I smiled. That had to mean something, right? I had moved on with my life.

So why the fuck was my brain going there?

I growled in frustration, stripped off my boyshorts and wifebeater, only to replace them with one of Eric's many button down shirts. I was swimming in it, but only buttoned two of the buttons to keep my boobs out of view. I headed downstairs, following the mouthwatering scents that were torturing my nose and tummy, and found Eric sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. He didn't notice me at first, but looked up with a smile when he realized I was there.

I crossed the room with what I hoped was a slightly predatory look in my eyes. He set down the newspaper, but didn't say anything. I picked up what appeared to be a glass of chocolate milk, smiled at him and took a drink. He sucked in a breath when he realized the boyshorts were gone and his week of sidelining hadn't begun yet. His chair scooted back from the table a little, but before he could get up, I straddled his lap.

He smiled at me again, and I smiled back. Neither of us spoke. I picked up his hands and put them on my breasts under his shirt. Immediately his entire body stiffened, and I do mean this _entire_ body. His palms kneaded my breasts and I leaned in to brush my lips against his. His mouth followed mine—no, chased it, until I surrendered and let him have access. He tasted like chocolate and cinnamon.

My hips started to grind against his, and I unbuttoned his shirt by one button, but didn't take it off. I didn't want to give the neighbors a show, should any of them happen to look in the kitchen window. I did, however, reach into the track pants he was wearing and pull his cock out. He growled against my parted lips, and sucked the bottom one back into his mouth when I started to stroke him.

Still neither of us spoke, which was different because Eric was pretty verbal when we fooled around. Whether he was whispering sweet nothings in my ear, or something a little dirtier to me, Eric almost always had something to say. Instead we communicated strictly with our bodies, whether it was our hands, lips or eyes, all the things we said were nonverbal. It was intense, and unlike anything I had experienced in the past.

His hands had only gotten to my hips when I lifted myself up and put him at my entrance. His eyes went wide, and I slid down his length. He groaned as I sank onto him. I held his face in my hands, watching his eyes as he disappeared inside me. For once he was the one closing his eyes and biting his lip, and there was a little victory cheer in my head that I was able to do that to him.

I stilled for a moment once he was buried inside me, but then I started to rock against him. His hands guided me, whether it was back and forth or up and down. Our lips met over and over in a series of kisses that were seared into my memory. There was nothing rushed about what we were doing, and the slowness was something that rarely seemed to happen between us. Usually we were so fired up from having to hold back with each other that anything but fast and hard to get that release just wasn't going to cut it.

But in that moment, we could have kept going forever. I savored the feeling of him inside me, and was slightly overwhelmed by just how right it felt to have him there. He was right when he said the next week was going to suck. I had never felt like I was addicted to someone before, but I felt it with him. I wanted him all the time and I didn't think it was just because it was still new to me. There was something about him…

I lost track of how long we were there on that chair, slowly bringing each other pleasure, but when the scales finally tipped, I didn't scream like I usually did. I pressed my forehead to his and shuddered, my pussy gripping his cock so hard I was almost pushing him out of me, only to suck him right back in. I couldn't breathe under the intensity of it. All I could do was cling to him, and wait for him to experience the same thing I just had.

When he did, he was a little louder than I had been, and it sent a ripple of aftershocks through me. I felt him release inside me, and I shivered from head to toe. Even my scalp tingled. My toes curled. I felt him everywhere. It was perfect.

I pressed little kisses along the column of his neck until I got to his ear. "Morning," I whispered to him, finally breaking our silence with that one word, and he chuckled. "Hope you don't mind being attacked like that before I even say hello."

"Please feel free to attack me like that any time."

"I didn't think you'd mind," I rocked my hips because why the hell not?

"Oh God, don't do that," he said with a shudder.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" I started to climb off his lap.

"No," he said quickly, and stopped me. "It felt really, really good."

"Then what's your problem?" I giggled softly, brushing some of his hair away from his forehead.

"I'm not sure I want to go again. That was a pretty perfect way to carry us into Hell Week," he smiled.

"Hell Week?" I laughed. He really had no idea. A lack of sex was really just the tip of the iceberg. "You'll survive, baby," I kissed his cheek and then started to get up again.

"I know I'll survive. I didn't just mean for me, I meant for you too. You have to go through the bleeding, and the cramping, the mood swings, the bloating. I just have to rub your back and not get laid. I have it easy."

If he didn't look so sincere I would have thought he was mocking me. I did, however, find it curious that he was so well-versed in all that female stuff, considering her didn't do the girlfriend thing very much. Although, there was his mother and Pam... oh God... Pam with PMS. I shuddered just thinking about it. Pam would have been incredibly graphic. Poor guy.

"Pam made your life hell, didn't she?" I asked while hunting for cinnamon rolls.

"Yes, which is how I know so much about it. You think she's good at bitching now? You should live with her when she has her period. It's awful. I promised myself to never make a woman feel bad when she's got her period after living through that."

"Well, hopefully I don't top Pam," I gave a weak smile. So far I felt like I was batting a thousand in the nutter department. My emotions were never so up and down in my life.

"I doubt it. She thrives in bitch mode. You've got a sweeter disposition."

"I try," I said, looking in the oven first, but coming up empty on the cinnamon rolls. Dammit. He better not have eaten them all. "Okay, where'd you stash all the morning yummies?"

"There's a plate in the microwave for you. Just heat them up for thirty seconds, and they'll be hot."

"You're amazing," I said and hit the preset button. "How long have you been up for, anyway?"

"A couple hours," he said. "That electric blanket was too hot for me."

"Yeah I kicked that fucker off in the middle of the night," I admitted. "I felt like I was sleeping on the surface of the sun."

"So maybe I'll save that for when you're having the death cramps. Or when you're freezing."

"I think that blanket is good for curing hypothermia and that's about it," I snickered and pulled my cinnamon rolls out of the microwave. I sniffed my plate and said, "Oooh I'm gonna nom you silly."

Eric looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Did you just... talk to the food?"

"Yes sir. Just be glad I didn't quote Family Guy," I shrugged and set my plate on the island before leaning over it to start pulling one of the rolls apart.

"What would you have quoted? Oh, I put extra icing on yours, I hope that's okay."

"It's always okay," I cleared my throat, did my best Chris impression and said, "I'm turnin' you into poo."

Eric snorted, and said, "You make a great Chris."

"Thanks, I think," I stuffed a bunch of the roll into my mouth and moaned loudly. "Oh sweet cinnamony goodness... where have you been all my life?"

"Just wait until you have my mom's homemade ones. Those are just Cinnabon ones from the can."

"Oh God," I sucked my fingertips to get the icing off.

"Okay, there's something wrong when you sound more enthused while eating cinnamon rolls than while fucking me."

My mouth dropped and I said, "I think I'm plenty vocal!"

He laughed, and said, "Yes, you are. I was just fucking with you."

I grabbed my plate of cinnamon rolls, hmphed at him and went to the living room. Sully was immediately at my feet, tail wagging, his big brown eyes begging for a piece of my breakfast. "No dice, Sull, this'll kill you faster than it will my waistline."

Eric followed us both, and plopped down on the couch next to me. "Can I have a bite?"

"You didn't already have some?" I moved my plate away from him. He was eying them a little too closely for my liking.

"Yes I did, but yours look really good, and you worked up my appetite again."

I sighed, pulled off a piece and held it out to him. "I guess I owe you."

He opened his mouth so I would feed it to him, and when I dropped it in, he closed his mouth around my fingers and sucked them free of the icing.

"Look at you not being wasteful," I took my fingers back and pulled off another piece to offer to him.

"And look at you learning to share," he said smugly, and then repeated his actions.

"I share just fine, mister," I pulled off yet another piece, but that time I put it between my teeth.

"Uh huh."

I leaned toward Eric and pushed the piece forward a little. It came out kind of muffled, but I said, "This is for you."

"Well this is a new way of feeding me," he grinned, and leaned forward to take the bite, kissing my lips in the process. It was very Lady and the Tramp.

"Didn't think you'd mind," I smiled at him as he chewed.

"Not at all."

"Sooo..." I started, not sure how to bring it up, but I felt like I needed to tell him about the dream I'd had. "I had a really weird dream. I somehow ended up back in 1987 and my old dog was there. We put her to sleep when I was nine. My brain was all kinds of fucked up. It just felt really real. It scared the hell out of me."

"Why did it scare you?"

"I was attacked by a wolf that turned into Alcide mid-air," I kept my eyes glued to my cinnamon roll, afraid of what his reaction might be.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" he grumbled.

"Well it shocked the hell out of me. And what's that supposed to mean, it doesn't surprise you?" I looked over at him to see he had his sour puss expression back.

"It's nothing against you, I just... I always thought Alcide was a wolf in sheep's clothing kind of guy."

For some reason, it stung to hear that. I had no idea Eric felt that way. He had never said anything derogatory about Alcide, even after we broke up. This was all new to me.

"I didn't know you felt that way," I said quietly, my appetite suddenly plummeting.

"Look, I'm not the best when it comes to judgment, and the guy always made you happy, so I thought maybe you knew something I didn't. But when you two split, I wished I had said something long before about how I felt about him. I mean, he was nice enough, but I just had this feeling about him."

I thought about it for a moment before I said, "It's probably better you never told me. I would have just gotten pissed off, and either it would have ruined our friendship, or I would have been waiting for an 'I told you so' after he and I broke up."

"Then I'm glad I didn't say anything. He's not worth your thoughts, or your dreams. It does make me wonder though... did you dream of him because you're afraid you and I are going to end like that too?"

"Honestly, I have no idea why I dreamed of him. I haven't even thought about him in a while, other than when I realized I wasn't comparing you to him, which is something I've done with every other guy I dated since him. He set the bar, Eric, but you raised it," I told him.

"Yeah?" he smiled.

"Yeah," I smiled back. "Alcide was my first love, but... he's my past. That's where he belongs."

"I'm glad you think so," he said. "And just so you know, you're setting the bar for me, and you're setting it quite high."

I rested my head against the back of the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. I got a little lost in my thoughts while absently eating my cinnamon rolls, which were quickly going cold on my plate. Sully started doing his little dance in front of the door, so Eric went to let him out seeing as how I wasn't fit for being anywhere near a door at the moment. I could just imagine how well Eric would take it if one of his neighbors commented about seeing the pretty blonde girl's lady business. My cheeks flamed just thinking about it.

"I should go upstairs and put some clothes on," I set the plate on the coffee table.

"Or you could stay down here, and enjoy more no-clothes time."

"I don't know," I stood up and stretched. "I'm getting kind of chilly."

"Wanna go up and do it under the electric blanket?"

I burst out laughing and said, "I'm not _that_ cold."

"Fine, then you can just go put on clothes and get warm like normal people."

"Or," I said as I started toward the stairs, "we could go upstairs and do it _without _the electric blanket, but if you don't want to..."

He was jumping up and taking my hand so fast you'd have thought I'd just announced to a kid that the ice cream truck had arrived.

"Oh, you like that idea, huh?" I smirked and unbuttoned the last button on the shirt with my free hand.

"Hell yes," he growled.

"Okay..." I pulled him to a stop in the hallway and said, "the last one upstairs has to tame the electric blanket back into its hiding place."

"Deal," he said, and took off.

I dropped his shirt and said, "Oops, your shirt fell off!" And then I started running after him. Unfair? Yes, yes it was. I needed to make up for his freakishly long legs somehow. If that meant distracting him with my boobs, so be it.

It worked, he stopped running, and turned to ogle my chest, which gave me the advantage I needed to get past him in into the room.

"Hey! That wasn't fair!" he yelled after me.

"Sorry, _sir_, it had to be done!" I called back, and then there was the thunder of his footsteps coming up the stairs.

"You're evil, but in a good way."

"It's one of best qualities," I laughed as he tackled me back onto the bed.

"You have a few others," he joked.

"You keep me humble, Northman," I wrapped my legs around him.

"And you keep me horny."

"It's part of the job description. Now ditch the pants. You won't be needing those for a while," I instructed.

"Are you sure it's safe to have sex?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Aren't you supposed to start... y'know?"

"I am, but I haven't yet, so we're good. Does it gross you out? If it grosses you out we don't have to."

"It's... it's not that it grosses me out, it's just... nevermind," he said, and kissed me.

He was hiding something from me; I knew it. Just like I knew that kiss was meant to distract me like my boobs had distracted him during the race. I was inclined to let him have his way, at least for the time being, and melted into the kiss instead of pestering him. There would be plenty of time for that in the coming week anyway.

**oOoOoOo**

I knocked on the door and waited for Eric to call me inside. People were going to start questioning how much time I was spending in there. Usually when I went to visit him at the bar I would make him come out and sit with me at a table, but lately we were all about being cloistered away in his office. With the door locked. For an extended period of time. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out something was up.

"Eric?" I called when he didn't answer my knocking.

"Come on in!"

I cracked the door open and peeked inside. He smiled and waved me in. "Sorry, I didn't want to bug you if you were on the phone. I should have called first."

"It's okay," he said.

It was day five of hell week, and so far Eric hadn't completely lost his mind. I, however, was anxious to be done with all this for another couple of weeks. Enough is enough already. I had a hot boyfriend I wanted to get back to banging regularly.

"How's your day going?" I asked as I pulled my coat off and dropped it on the chair by his desk. I intentionally wore a low cut shirt since the boobs were still eligible for playtime, and Eric definitely took notice.

"Pretty good. It seems we'll just get into the swing of things without Pam, and then she'll come back and we'll have to re-adapt. How is your day?"

"So far so good, but there's room for improvement," I parked it on the couch. "And I can't wait for Pam to get back, but it's purely for selfish reasons. Plus it's entertaining to watch the waitresses dodge her."

"Sometimes I think she threatens to step on them with her stilettos."

I laughed and said, "They _do_ go scurrying like cockroaches when they see her approaching."

"What do you want to do tonight?"

"I don't know," I leaned back and let my head roll toward him. "I work from home tomorrow, so it's okay if I have a later night. Got any ideas?"

"I am idealess. But I'm bored right now. Want to make out and see what comes up?" he asked with a grin.

"I think we both know what'll come up," I snickered.

"Of course _that_ will, but I was thinking ideas, perv."

"Yeah, but a lot of those ideas will be no good for another day or two," I sighed, and knew he felt a little comfort in the knowledge that I was almost as frustrated as he was. On the bright side, he had discovered he wasn't completely sidelined, just on limited duty. "But I'll settle for kisses in the meantime."

"Then kisses you shall have," he said, and came over to join me on the couch.

"I didn't lock the door," I told him. I should have known better, but since I didn't know how busy he was, I didn't want to go getting my hopes up for nothing.

"It'll be fine. We're slow right now."

"Risky," I smiled but leaned into him. "Two more days," I whispered.

"Yup," he said, and gave me a peck on the lips. "Just two more, and then you'll be having trouble walking straight again."

"That sounds delightful," I sighed and pecked him back.

"You're awesome," he said, and pulled me against him.

I shifted onto his lap and his hands were immediately on my boobs. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes, mostly because I liked having his hands there, and leaned in to kiss him. We started off slowly with slow, lingering kisses that ultimately became much hungrier and demanding. His hands kneaded my chest, but then slipped under my shirt to pull down the cups of my bra.

All of a sudden he shifted us so I was on my back under him and his lips moved down to my neck. He kissed the spot that always made my hips rock, which was both a blessing and a curse for him at the moment. While I'm sure the friction felt good, it was also a tease. If he thought either of us was going to think about anything other than how we couldn't just tear each other's clothes off, he was out of his mind. I sure as hell wasn't thinking about where we could go for dinner at that point.

The v-neck of my shirt wasn't deep enough for him to get enough boob access, so he started to tug my shirt up. He had one of those devious smiles on his face, and I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I watched him move down my body a little. My breathing was a little ragged, and I was anticipating all the attention the girls were about to get when there was a knock at the door that brought everything to a screeching halt.

_I knew we should have locked the door!_

"Shit," he muttered, and pulled away just in time for the door to fly open.

"Pam!" I sat up quickly.

Pam looked awfully proud of herself (not to mention oddly tan) and said, "Well, well, what have we here? I didn't interrupt something naughty, did I?"

"No, Pam, you didn't," Eric said. "You look great! It's good to have you back."

Pam looked at us both with those eyes of hers that missed nothing. "You have lip gloss on your chin," she glazed right over Eric's welcome.

"Shit," he said. "Sookie, why didn't you tell me? I, uh... kind of hired a new waitress while you were gone. She had a thing for me."

"I've told you before that if you're going to play with the help, you're on your own," I shrugged and hoped it was convincing. I also hoped Pam would leave so I could get my bra back where it belonged.

"I smell the distinct scent of bullshit," Pam came in and shut the door.

Fuck. Of course _now_ she felt like being chatty. But then again, she smelled blood...

"How was your trip?" I tried to change the subject.

"So who's the new waitress?" Pam glazed over me, yet again, and stared right at Eric.

"Her name was Alice. I fired her about ten minutes ago when she tried to make out with me in here. Sookie saved me."

Pam snorted and said, "Was she chubby? I can't believe you needed Sookie to save you."

I was at a complete loss. Eric was going to have to take this one.

"What would her being chubby have to do with anything? Sookie just interrupted the attack, that's all."

"Right," Pam didn't look like she was buying it one bit. "Well, I'm here now. We can get caught up tomorrow, but I'm sure you have other things you'd rather be doing." Pam glanced at me and I prayed I didn't blush.

"Not me!" I said emphatically and Pam cackled.

"Don't think I won't be looking in the employee records for this Alice person," Pam warned as she walked back to the door.

"She worked here for a couple hours, Pam. There are no records."

"She didn't fill out an application? Oh, right, she doesn't exist," Pam opened the door.

"Nope, she walked in and asked me for a job, and I hired her. You know I'm not good at the technical stuff."

Pam glared at him and said, "Fantastic. I can't wait to see the mess I'm inheriting. Now if you'll excuse me, I have waitresses to terrify. Sookie, we'll do lunch soon."

That felt more like a threat than anything else. The door slammed behind her and I felt like I'd just been whacked upside the head with a two by four.

"Next time I'll lock the door," I said, and then we both burst out laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>So how much longer do you think it'll be before they get busted? With Pam back, you've gotta wonder how long they can keep things under wraps from her. And that damn Alcide... yeah, I'm not going to say too much on that sitch since we'll be seeing him soon. Really, really soon -_- Scribe and I have serious hate for him in this story, let's just say that. You'll find out why next chapter. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	13. Someone Like You

**Soooo the majority of this chapter is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Read on at your own risk. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13: Someone Like You<span>**  
><strong>

"_Nothing compares. No worries or cares. Regrets and mistakes they are memories made. Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?" –Adele _

I woke up on the sixth day of Hell Week to discover that Aunt Flo had left town overnight. I nearly called Eric to celebrate, but decided I would spring it on him later. Besides, he had work to do with Pam in order for them to get the business all caught up. Eric and I had left the bar pretty quickly after Pam took over. I couldn't believe how close we'd come to getting caught. When I thought about it, it was sort of stupid that we were hiding things at all. On the other hand, it was going well the way it was. I didn't need a bunch of superfluous opinions floating around in my head.

I knew what people were going to think about Eric and me dating each other. For as good a friends as we were, there was also the common knowledge that I was looking to eventually become someone's missus, and Eric… well, it was just as well known that the concepts of marriage and commitment weren't his thing. And yet, I knew for the first time ever he was giving them serious thought. He was taking a step with me that he had never taken with anyone else. He trusted me.

Three weeks had passed since Mexico so we had been fooling around for almost a month, and I knew it wasn't just sex. Sex was a big part of it, but I knew even without that we would still be friends. We had done it for ten years prior, right? There was that stinging feeling not quite in my heart, but that sting of wondering why it took us so long to figure it out. I know I said it had to do with timing and all that jazz, and I still believed that, but it was still a little frustrating to know Eric had been there all that time, just waiting the same as I had. Stupid fates.

We ended up grabbing some takeout and eating at his place. I stayed long enough to watch _Batman Begins _with him, and then I headed home to let Sully out. I usually only slept alone two nights a week anymore, and although I missed him, I also liked having my bed all to myself. I could sleep in the middle again and not worry about accidentally punching or kicking Eric in my sleep.

To wake up on day six with the realization that I could very easily drive over to Eric's house and surprise him with a quickie before work was something that had me nearly bouncing off the walls. However, I had no doubt he meant what he said about me walking funny for the next couple of days once he got full sexing privileges back. A quickie, while he would appreciate it, just wasn't going to cut it. If Eric was late showing up at the bar, Pam would simply get impatient and go over to his house.

We were going to have to remember to start locking the doors, and I was going to have to ask my brother for my condo key back. I put that on my list of things to do. At the moment, however, I needed to get in the shower because there was going to be some serious celebrating later. I didn't even want to think about work. Thankfully, it was my work from home day. That meant I could work when I wanted to, as long as I answered my phone. I prayed the calls would be minimal as I washed up.

My first stop was going to be the grocery store. After that I needed to stop at Studio 21 over in Addison. It was a bit of a hike, but if they had what I was looking for, it would be well worth it later when I saw the look on Eric's face. After I got out of the shower I decided Eric needed some sort of warning that I intended to have him all to myself later that night. I grabbed my phone and sent him a quick text.

_S: Morning baby. We need to talk later tonight. I'll be over at 6. Have a good day xoxo_

I thought about it then sent a quick follow up text so he wouldn't be all panicky.

_S: And don't worry, you're not in trouble ;)_

I hoped that was good enough to get his attention, but not have him wigging out all day. I got dressed and on the road so I would make sure to be back in time. I was on my way to the grocery store when my phone beeped on the seat beside me. It was a text from Eric.

_E: I wouldn't mind being in trouble with you ;) I'll be there at six._

I was glad he wasn't calling me in a tizzy, trying to get information out of me because I wasn't going to tell him what was up. If I did that it would blow my surprise, and I wanted to give him this. Badly. Hell, I _needed_ to give him this. Besides, it could be fun to role play a little…

I got the necessities to make his favorite meal at the grocery store, stopped at home to drop everything off and then headed over to Studio 21 in search of the costume I was looking for. My heart was racing just thinking about it, if I was being honest. I had never done the dress up thing for someone else. Eric hadn't said it was something he was into, but then again I don't know if any other girl had done something like this for him. I hoped not. I wanted it to be a unique experience.

As always, I had to flash my license in order to get into the store. They had a strict policy about not letting anyone under the age of eighteen onto the premises, which I thought was actually pretty awesome. I didn't need a couple of twelve-year-old boys watching me while I looked at costumes. The selection they had wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but I found what I was looking for.

Just for the hell of it, I looked at the novelty items they carried and picked up a set of dirty dice. They looked like something fun to play with. Even if we didn't use them later that night, I was sure they'd come in handy some other time I wanted to surprise him. I spotted a bottle of sweet almond scented massage oil and grabbed that, too. Having little things for a rainy day seemed like a good idea. If there was one thing Eric and I seemed to be good at, it was mixing things up.

I couldn't imagine Eric being one of those boring, missionary guys who fell into a rut of comfortable moves and routines. It was easy, where sex was concerned, to fall into those traps. I mean, when you think about it, the mechanics are always the same. It was the buildup that needed to change to keep things interesting. I didn't ever want to be in one of those relationships where it became regimented and routine. Like how some couples had their date night and always, no matter what their mood, always had sex on Tuesday just because it was Tuesday.

I never wanted sex to feel like it was a chore, or like it was something we needed to do just to get it over with. I was pretty sure Eric felt the same way. I paid for my goodies and then headed back home. Trying to get any work done was next to impossible, but I forced myself to stay at my computer in the dining room until three o'clock.

Promptly at three I shut everything down and turned off my Blackberry. I went to the guest bathroom and started the tub, since I only had a shower stall in the master bath, and I needed to soak. I got my iPod going, selecting music that would keep me from getting too wound up. I soaked in the tub for a while in rose scented water, and then shaved my legs (and anything else that needed shaving), washed my hair and deep conditioned it.

By the time I got out of the tub I was as soft as a baby's bottom, and smelled like a rose garden. I dried my hair, and took my straightener to it, something I rarely did anymore. Eric seemed to prefer my hair a little more wild and curly. I pinned the front of it back so it wouldn't be in my face, and I wouldn't be tempted it play with it when I got nervous. I got dressed in a pair of comfy yoga pants and a t-shirt. I wouldn't be putting on my costume until I was at Eric's and had dinner started.

I packed up my black fuck me shoes, a pair of white thigh high stockings with little bows on them, and my makeup bag. Once I had everything packed that I was going to need, I grabbed the groceries and took them out to my car. With Sully following behind me, I grabbed my purse and my laptop case so I could get a little work done over the weekend. Assuming Eric let me out of bed, that is, and headed over to his house.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see his car in the driveway. I peeked into the garage through the little windows on the door, and smiled when his car wasn't there. I let Sully in the house first, and then made a couple of trips back and forth to bring in all the other things I needed for his surprise. I went straight to the kitchen and started prepping dinner. It was just after five when I had everything in the oven, and then I went upstairs to change.

I put on my costume, stockings and shoes. I fixed my makeup the way I wanted it, making sure to paint my lips a shade of scarlet that made my eyes look bluer than usual. When I was all done, I'll admit I looked damn good. My heart was hammering away in my chest, and I told myself to calm down. I was about to make Eric very, very happy.

Back in the kitchen, I checked on everything to make sure dinner would be done on schedule. With five minutes to spare I uncorked a bottle of wine and tried to get my hands to stop shaking. I made sure to stay away from the front end of the house so he wouldn't see me from the outside. I didn't want him to see me until he was inside the house. It was better for both of us, not to mention the neighbors, if I didn't go outside. I could only imagine the way tongues would be wagging.

I was rinsing dishes when I heard the garage door go up. I turned off the water, leaving a few dirty dishes in the sink on purpose, and then grabbed the bottle of wine. I took a few deep breaths and braced myself. The door between the house and garage opened, and Eric was immediately calling for me.

"Honey, I'm home," he called out in a goofy Ricky Ricardo type accent.

I snickered, told myself to calm down, and then stepped around the corner from the kitchen. Eric was bent over, playing with Sully, when I stepped into his line of sight. He froze and slowly, _painfully_ slowly, his eyes traveled up my body. He started at my shoes and worked his way up until he was finally looking at my face.

"Mother of God," he muttered.

"Welcome home, sir," I smiled at him.

"Please tell me this means what I think it means. Because if you did this while still on your thing, I will henceforth consider you the most evil girlfriend who ever lived."

"I'm a minx, not the devil."

"Does that mean that if I wanted to bend you over the kitchen table and fuck you tonight, I could?"

"Not until after dinner," I teased and then turned for the kitchen.

I heard his footsteps falling in behind mine, and he asked, "Did you make meatloaf?"

"Maybe," I turned on the oven light and stepped back so he could see for himself.

"Jesus, the bar just rose all the way to heaven," he said with a groan and pulled me to him. "Kiss me."

I wanted to. I really, really wanted to, but I knew if I did everything would fall apart right then and there, and I had things I wanted to accomplish before, as he so eloquently put it, we got to the fucking. I stretched forward and kissed his cheek, but then quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry I left the kitchen so messy. I know how much you like a clean kitchen," I said, hoping he would pick up what I was putting down, and play along.

He glanced around and took in the things I needed to clean. "Well then, you'll just have to clean it up, won't you?"

"Yes sir," I bit my bottom lip and reached for the wine on the counter. "Would you like some?"

"Are you trying to get me drunk so I won't notice the mess?"

I dipped my eyes to the floor and said, "I would never." Might have been more convincing if it wasn't for the small, coy smile on my face.

"I don't believe you," he said, his voice lowering an octave. "But I'll drink it anyway."

I handed over the bottle to him so he could uncork it while I went to retrieve wine glasses from the cabinet in the dining room. When I came back I set the glasses down on the island and then meekly said, "And I'm sorry dinner is late. I meant for it to be ready promptly at six, but I got sidetracked."

He tsk'd at me, and said, "Then I guess I'll have to punish you for that later."

I bit back a smile and said, "Please don't punish me, sir. I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"Anything?"

"Anything," I nodded, my eyes trained on the floor and my lip tucked between my teeth.

"How long do we have until dinner is ready?" he asked.

"Maybe twenty minutes?" I glanced at the oven timer. We had just under that, but a few extra seconds in the oven wouldn't burn anything.

"You know what I want you to do?" he asked, his eyes darkening as he tucked some hair behind my ear.

"No," I looked into his eyes. Oh boy. Yeah, that look was dangerous in a good way.

"I want you to bend over the table so I can give you a spanking."

My mouth opened and my cheeks flushed. "But I-"

"You're right, I should let you make this up to me with a blowjob."

My heart was bouncing all over my chest and I nodded. "Yes sir. Right now?"

"Yes, right now. Before dinner is done."

I felt nervous, although I wasn't sure why. Wasn't like I hadn't done this before. Eric led me over to the table and sat down on one of the chairs. I dropped to my knees in front of him and unzipped his pants.

Eric's hand was buried in my hair and thrusting up into my mouth. The timer started to go off, and I moaned around his length. Eric growled and gripped my hair a little tighter. He started to mumble rather incoherently and then his body went rigid. I looked up into his eyes just as he released.

"You're perfect," he said as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I straightened up and tucked everything back where it belonged. I started to get up to go to the oven, but didn't get very far since Eric still had his hand in my hair.

"Whoops, sorry," he chuckled. "You made my brain short circuit."

"That makes two of us. I forgot it was there," I kissed the tip of his nose, and then really went to the oven to pull everything out. "Shoot, I didn't set the table. I'm a mess today."

"I got it," he said, and got up to get plates. "You deserve it after that."

I briefly considered a joke about getting a raise, but decided to leave things alone. Instead, I pulled the pans from the oven and set them on the burners. Usually I would have made mashed potatoes, but I had a feeling we wouldn't make it to dinner without some sort of sexual activity, and I didn't want to have to stop because the potatoes needed mashing.

"Okay, everything looks ready," I said as I scanned the roasted potatoes on their own cookie sheet.

"Good, I'm starving."

"Eat up," I smiled over at him. "You're going to need it."

"Why is that?"

"Because I have a feeling the kitchen table is just the beginning," I said and then intentionally knocked the towel off the counter so I would have to bend over to pick it up. I had teased him about not wearing panties before and when I heard the clatter of silverware I knew he was watching me.

"Okay, we're skipping eating now," he said.

"No, we're not. I worked hard on this dinner," I stood up, towel in hand. "You can wait a little longer."

One of his expressive eyebrows rose. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Alright, but only because I appreciate how hard you worked on this, and because I'm starving. But also because I can just punish you later for having attitude."

My mouth dropped again. I had forgotten I wasn't supposed to be sassing him. "Fine," I huffed. Shoot. I did it again.

"And for that."

Sassing him just... it was second nature for me. "Your dinner is getting cold."

"Then I suppose I should eat it, even though there's something else I wish I was eating right now."

"You'll get your chance," I smirked and then went to the fridge. I wasn't planning on drinking wine. It would be a strange combination with what I was having for dinner, but it seemed appropriate. I pulled the carton of pineapple juice from the fridge and poured some into one of the wine glasses.

"Oh God," he groaned. "This meatloaf is better than my mom's."

"Thank you," I grinned and put the juice back in the fridge. "I'm glad you like it."

"Are you drinking pineapple juice?"

"Have been for the last three days," I winked at him and went over to the stove to plate up.

His jaw dropped a little. "Really?"

"Baby, I've been planning this for a week."

"You're perfect."

"Hardly," I snickered and turned around to take my seat at the table. "But I'm glad you think so."

He smiled at me, and continued to devour his dinner. It made me happy that he enjoyed the things I cooked.

"How was your day?" I asked and speared a potato.

"Good. Things are finally getting back to normal now that Pam's back."

"I'm happy to hear that. Has she asked about Alice?" I chuckled and cut into my meatloaf.

"Nope. I think the shitstorm she walked into with the employees distracted her."

'You know she's going to be watching us, right? You know how she is when she thinks she's onto something."

"Yeah, I know. I think it would probably be a good idea if we didn't mess around in my office anymore."

"I told you to start taking lunch breaks at home," I laughed. "We'll just have to be sneakier from now on."

"If I had you waiting here for me, I would totally come home for lunch. And now that Pam's back, I can," he grinned.

"You know I work from home one day a week. I'm sure I could be here."

"It's a date then," he said, and took his last bite of meatloaf. "Please tell me there's more."

"Plenty," I glanced over my shoulder. There was still half the loaf left.

Eric got up and went over to the stove for round two, while I was barely a quarter of the way through what was on my plate. How he ate that much that fast without barfing, I'll never know. We made small talk all through the rest of dinner, but when I got up to start cleaning up the dishes, Eric put a stop to that.

"You look so sexy in that outfit."

"Thank you," I smiled over my shoulder. "Kind of ironic the messy girl dresses up like a maid, huh? We both know you'd fire me within a week."

"If you gave me blowjobs like that, I wouldn't care," he grinned wickedly.

"Your cleaning lady doesn't blow you, does she? Because I might have a problem with that."

"Ha! No, she doesn't blow me. In fact, I hardly ever actually see her. Also, she's fifty years old."

"Not into cougars?"

"Not happily married ones with five kids who look like Mrs. Claus."

"Awwww she sounds adorable!" I reached up and pulled the pins out of my hair. "Okay, I need to at least get the dishes soaking or they'll never come clean."

"You do that, and I'll go let Sully out so we're not interrupted."

"Good plan," I stretched up and pecked him on the lips. His arms wrapped around me and he tried to pull me back but I pushed him away. "No, no, go let Sully out, or he'll end up leaving puddles all over the place."

"Can't have that," he smiled. "Be just as sexy when I get back, okay?"

"Darn. I was going to trade this getup in for my favorite sweatpants."

"You'd still be sexy."

"You're getting laid either way, Northman," I said and turned to grab plates off the table.

"Doesn't change the fact that I find you sexy no matter what you're wearing," he winked, then turned to go get Sully.

I got the dishes rinsed, the leftovers put away and even managed to get dessert out of the fridge before Eric came back. Sully was following him, most likely hoping that someone had dropped something on the floor and didn't notice it. I think, in his former life, my dog may have been a vacuum cleaner.

"Dessert?" I held up the pie plate.

"It can wait until I have the dessert I really want," he said, pulling me to him.

"Are you sure? It's peanut butter pie with a chocolate crust," I tried to tempt him, but he took the pie plate and set it on the counter. That was shocking. Eric _loved_ pie.

"There's something I want much more than that," he said.

"More than pie?" I teased. "I didn't think you wanted anything more than pie."

"You are so much better than pie will ever be."

"You say the sweetest things to me," I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him.

"Yeah, I am pretty great, huh?"

"Yes you are," I pulled back and started toward the kitchen door.

"Your ass looks so good in that, and your legs," he said.

"I'm glad it wasn't a waste of time tracking it down," I paused in the doorway and looked over my shoulder. "You'll also be happy to know I found my old cheerleading uniform," I told him and then took off running.

"Minx," he hollered after me, then gave chase.

Okay, so I didn't get very far. I made it to the couch before he caught up with me, and I found myself bent over the arm of it. I mentally snickered, knowing I was going to end up bent over something before the night was over.

"Can't you wait until we're upstairs?" I laughed, even though I didn't care where we were, and I was pretty sure he knew it.

"I will have you in every fuckable place in my house if I have my say about it."

"Promise?" I smiled over my shoulder.

"Maybe not all tonight, but definitely eventually. I can guarantee it."

"That's a lot of places," my breath caught when I felt his hand at the middle of the inside of my thigh and start to move up.

"Yes it is. Any there's a ton when you think of the places made fuckable by laying down a blanket."

"Very true," I said in a breathy tone, and then his fingers found what they had been denied for the last six days.

"You're so wet, Sookie," he growled into my ear. "Have you been thinking dirty thoughts?"

"Mmm..." I couldn't think at the moment. I knew he asked me a question, but it just wasn't registering in my brain.

"Tell me what you've been thinking, Sookie."

I squirmed against his fingers, desperate for more friction, but when I didn't answer him again he moved his hand away. "Tell me what you were thinking about that made you so wet, Sookie."

I groaned and said," You. You sneaking up on me and bending me over the table. Touching me until I can't take it anymore and I beg you to fuck me."

He growled and put his hand back between my legs. His other hand lowered the zipper on the costume and he slowly split the seams. The costume came with a built-in bra, so my back was bare to him. He trailed his fingers down my spine as two fingers on his other hand slid into me. I grabbed onto the couch and prayed my knees didn't give out.

"What else?" He asked. Smart boy knew I had been thinking other things.

He was right. I had been thinking about this all day. Many scenarios had played themselves out in my mind. But as his fingers pumped and twisted inside me, I found it hard to think about it. Words didn't come easily and I didn't feel much like talking. I was torn between wanting him to draw things out and just fuck me already.

I tried to tell him what I had been thinking but the words just weren't coming out. Instead I released a string of whimpers and moans, quiet pleas for him to make me come. I needed it. Badly. Like it was for him, six days was too long. It was official- I was addicted, and I didn't care.

"Eric," I moaned, wanting more friction, more of him inside me.

"Tell me what you want, sweetheart," he kissed along my spine.

He lifted the silly tutu skirt of my costume and kissed every bit of bare skin he could get his lips on, his fingers still working inside me. My head turned to the side and I said, "Fuck me. Please."

He growled and pulled me upright, removing his fingers from inside me to lick them clean. I whimpered in momentary disappointment, but then he was wrenching my costume down my arms and over my hips. I stepped out of the dress and was then pulled roughly toward Eric by the back of my head. He tilted my head back and kissed me hard. Before I could get my bearings he broke the kiss and threw me down on the couch. I bounced on the cushions and in a blink of an eye, Eric was on his knees in front of me, grabbing me by my thighs and pulling me to the edge of the cushions. My legs went over his shoulders and his mouth attacked my clit.

"Oh fuck!" I cried and grabbed onto his hair. "God, don't stop!"

He growled and pushed his fingers back inside me, stroking them against my sweet spot. My orgasm came quickly and so intensely that my back arched and I sat up straight. I called his name over and over, and he just kept going, drawing my orgasm out for longer than I thought possible.

When he pulled back to let me recover a little, Eric stood and took off the rest of his clothes. Already I was starting to feel boneless, so it was a good thing that he pulled me off the couch because I didn't think I could stand on my own. Powerful orgasms always ensured that my legs stopped working. His fingers ran through my hair as he kissed me, and I didn't even notice that he was backing me up against the wall until I hit it.

I blindly wrapped my hand around his cock and started stroking. Jesus, he was hard. He felt bigger than I remembered, in spite of having gone down on him less than an hour before. He sucked on my neck, most likely marking me a little, leaving behind a warning that I belonged to him. And I realized then that I did. I don't know when it happened, but I was his, one hundred percent.

Eric grabbed my breasts roughly, pinching and tugging on my nipples before taking them into his mouth one at a time. I started to twist my hand as I stroked him, and when my other hand started to play with his balls, Eric grabbed me by my thighs and lifted me off the floor.

"Eric!" I wasn't expecting him to hoist me up like that.

"I need to be inside you, sweetheart. I need to feel that perfect, wet heat wrapped around my cock," he told me and I swallowed hard.

I put him at my entrance and he lowered me down onto him. We let out a simultaneous groan as he filled me. Our eye were locked on each other's, and Eric stilled inside me when he was as deep as he could get. My legs wrapped around him and he leaned in to kiss me. The roughness was gone, replaced with something a little sweeter and a little more tender.

"Mmm, you feel good, Sookie," he nibbled my ear.

I rolled my hips and then rocked them against him. He pulled out slowly and thrust in again, his mouth going back to my breasts. I tried to meet his thrusts and looked down to watch what he was doing. Being pinned against the wall left me fairly immobile, but I didn't mind him taking what he wanted since he was giving at the same time.

Eric suddenly pulled out of me and set me down, only to bring me over to the couch. He sat and pulled me down onto his lap so I was straddling him. Our lips met rather gently and his fingers twined in my hair again. I reached between us and lined him up with my opening again and sank down. I slowly rocked my hips against him, and his hands slid down my back to my butt, guiding my back and forth movements.

Those deep, passionate kisses that made my toes curl and my insides turn to goo made an appearance, and Eric kept it up until I had to pull away to breathe. His hands shifted to my hips and I started to move myself up and down, rotating a little on the up stroke. Eric's head fell back and I took advantage of his exposed neck by doing a little sucking and nibbling of my own. I smirked at the idea of him walking into the bar and having to explain a hickey to Pam. It seemed fair after I had to explain the bruises on my hips when we were in Mexico.

Eric began to thrust up from under me, and he pulled my head away from his throat to kiss me again. I ended up on my back with Eric on top of me, and his mouth on my breasts again. I reached between us and rubbed my clit to help myself along. The pressure deep in my belly was so intense that I couldn't help it. My other hand cradled the back of his head, holding him to me.

I stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes and parted lips as the pressure exploded. "Eric!" I called out his name as my muscles squeezed him from the inside, fluttering and clamping down on him over and over. That tingly livewire feeling overwhelmed me and I lost control of my limbs.

Eric's lips fitted themselves over mine, kissing me rather lazily. He began to thrust a little harder and he braced himself on his hands on either side of my head. He looked down and watched his cock pumping into me. I stretched up and kissed his neck and shoulders.

"Fuck, Sookie," he groaned and I felt him swell inside me. Suddenly he pulled out and finished on my stomach.

His head dropped and I reached up with shaking hands to pull his face to mine. I kissed him sweetly, and ran my fingers through his hair. His breathing was ragged and he fought to catch up. I smiled up at him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fucking perfect," he muttered and smiled back at me.

He reached over my head for a couple of tissues from the box on the end table, and then cleaned me off. He dropped the used tissues on the floor and then dropped on top of me. I wrapped my arms around him and he nuzzled my breasts, kissing them softly.

"Don't fall asleep on me," I giggled.

"I won't," he promised and cuddled against me.

We lay there quietly for a little while until Sully reminded us he was present and licked the bottom of Eric's foot. He jolted on top of me and spooked the dog. Sully barked and backed away from Eric. I lay there giggling while Eric lifted off me. He sat on the couch and pulled my feet onto his lap to rub my feet, which made me squirm.

"Eric, you have to stop," I giggled and twisted.

"Are you ticklish?" He asked with a devious smile.

"No," I tried to pull my feet away but he wasn't letting go.

"Eric!" I howled and laughed as he tickled the bottom of my feet.

"You said you weren't ticklish," he smirked at me.

"Let go of my feet!" I gasped for air and continued to squirm, almost falling off the couch.

Sully started barking again and let loose a menacing growl in Eric's direction. He let go of my feet and I actually did fall off the couch thanks to my thrashing. Both of us were laughing and Sully came around and licked my cheeks.

"I'm okay Sull," I patted his side and sat up slowly. "Eric was just playing."

Sully nuzzled against me and I scratched his neck and kissed his head. Eric stood and bent down to help me up. "I'd kiss you but you have doggy slobber on you."

"I think we need a shower. You've got lipstick all over you," I looked him up and down. He had red smudges in some pretty interesting places.

When he turned around I gasped at the marks on his back. Jesus, did I do that? I didn't even remember it happening, but it had to have been me.

"What's wrong?" Eric looked over his shoulder.

"Your back," I reached up and touched the scratches. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"Doesn't hurt," he told me.

"Are you sure? It looks painful," I stepped forward and kissed the marks.

"Sookie, I'm fine," he promised. "Let's go upstairs and clean up."

I took his hand and we walked upstairs together with Sully following us. Eric went to the bathroom and started the shower while I took off my shoes and stockings. I met him in the shower a short time later once I had my hair piled up on top of my head. We washed each other off, but of course when Eric got his hand between my legs again it ceased to be an innocent shower.

Before I knew it I was bent over and he was pounding into me from behind, pulling me roughly onto his cock. I clutched at the marble wall, but that was a waste. He reached around and rubbed my clit, and I came with a scream. Again eric pulled out before he came, and I felt his release hit the back of my thigh. He kissed my back and shoulders before standing me upright and turning me around to rinse me off.

When we were done cleaning up he wrapped me in a towel before taking one for himself. He slung it around his hips and carried me into the bedroom. Eric set me down on his bed and started to dry my arms and legs. He kissed me sweetly once we were both dried off, and I scooted back on his bed. He climbed up beside me and rested his head on my stomach so he was facing me. He kissed my hand while the other rubbed over his head.

"So what are we going to do about Valentine's Day since it's on a Tuesday, and you _know_Pam is going to want the night off," I tilted my head a little.

"We both have the night off actually. Well, we have to be there for a while, but at a certain point we leave it to the employees. Pam has her own number two that she delegates holidays to. So you and I can still do something since I'll get out of there early enough."

"Oh," I smiled, happy to hear that. "I would have figured it would be too busy for you guys to take the night off."

"It is, but we prepare, and Pam is staying a bit longer than I am. So what would you like to do? Dinner?"

"I'll let you choose since this is your first Valentine's Day."

"It's not my first Valentine's Day," he said, giving me a confused look.

"It's not?" My eyebrows lifted. That was a surprise to me since he had never really done the girlfriend thing before.

"When I was sixteen, I had a girlfriend, and I gave her a cheap box of chocolates and a rose. She kissed my cheek and broke up with me."

"That bitch," I said, offended for him.

"It was fine, she was kinda mean, and as it turned out, also dating two other guys."

"Double bitch!" I said and he laughed. "Well, I promise I won't break up with you, and there are no secret extra boyfriends I'm keeping from you."

"Good," he smiled. "Then for my first Valentine's where I actually care for my girlfriend... I think we should have dinner at that fancy place where you have to dress up, and I'd like for you to wear red lingerie."

"I can do that. Anything else?"

"Promise me we'll have hot sex... oh wait, we always have hot sex," he snickered at his own joke. "Um, I don't think I need anything more than that. Do I need to get you chocolate or flowers or something?"

"I will leave that up to you. I'll be fine either way." I didn't want to be one of those bitchy, overbearing girlfriends who made all sorts of demands, and since I didn't really give a shit about Valentine's Day anyway, it didn't matter. "I don't need flowers, candy, or whatever else you can come up with to know you care about me, so if you _do _decide you want to get me something, it will just be a nice bonus and nothing more."

"How about I get you flowers tomorrow, and maybe one day a couple weeks from now, and then a month after that?"

"If you want to," I brushed his hair back from his face. "But don't tell me. I want to be surprised. I like surprises. As long as you're not sneaking up on me in the shower," I glared at him.

"Sorry about that," he grinned. "Won't happen again."

"It's okay. You know, for the first time since I was probably seventeen I'm actually kind of excited about Valentine's Day. I hope this one is a better memory for you."

"It's with you, of course it will be better."

I picked up his hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm cold. Can I put some clothes on?"

I knew the answer to that, but I had to try.

"Nope," he said. "I'll gladly warm you up another way though."

"I don't know if I can," I said and his head lifted up, a look of horror in his eyes.

"Did I break your vagina?"

I rolled on my side and laughed, "No, Eric, you didn't break my vagina. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Fine then, I'll snuggle you warmer."

"Now that, I can do," I shifted around to get under the blanket, and Eric followed suit. "I need a bed like this at my house. This is ridiculously comfortable. If only they made Eric-shaped pillows..."

"You don't need one of those, you have me," he said, burying his face in my hair.

"I mean for the nights I sleep alone, silly. It would be greedy of me to have two of you."

"You know that if you ever want me, I can come over and snuggle you to sleep."

"I may hold you to that," I said, knowing full well that if I ever called him for that purpose it wouldn't be just snuggles I got out of the deal.

"Good."

I let my eyes close, and smiled when Eric's hand moved up and down my side. It tickled a little bit and I squirmed. "That tickles," I giggled quietly.

"Would you rather have a massage again?"

"Mmm... no, I like the snuggles," I pulled his arm around me a little tighter and yawned. "I'm sorry I'm falling asleep over here."

"It's okay," he said, pulling me fully against him. "Go to sleep."

"Yes sir," I mumbled, and I'm pretty sure I was out cold after that.

**oOoOoOo**

I walked around Babies 'R Us, trying to find a couple of the items that were on Tara's registry. Having a baby was expensive shit, and it was worse when two were coming at once. Tara and JB had been thrilled to learn they were pregnant. The excitement dialed down a notch when they found out it was twins. It took them a while to come to terms with having the added expense of two kids at once, but things had calmed down enough that Tara was now sufficiently excited, and rapidly approaching the point of being sick of being pregnant.

More than once she said, "I don't know how my mother did this so many times, Sook."

Since I'd never been pregnant myself, I could only shrug my answer. I would reserve judgment until I'd been through it. I was staring at the little outfits with googly eyes, mentally fawning over how cute Tara and JB's babies were going to be. Of course that got me thinking about Eric, and the rather anticlimactic talk we had about children. He knew where I stood on the issue, but he had yet to come out one way or the other.

I reminded myself to be patient with him. For me it had always been instinctual. I knew from the time I was a little girl, playing mommy to my baby dolls that someday I wanted a living, breathing baby of my own to take care of. I suppose it was different for boys, but since I wasn't a boy, I didn't really know how their brains worked when it came to such things.

One thing I knew for absolute certain was that Eric would make a wonderful father if he decided that was what he wanted. He had the right amount of silliness to him for the job, but he was also protective and smart. The possibility entered my mind that maybe Eric wanted kids but just didn't want them with me. I shook away that Debbie Downer thought and skimmed over the list I was holding.

Since I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I smacked into someone in front of me who was eyeballing a display of strollers. I looked up to apologize to my victim, and my jaw about dropped right out of my skull. Alcide.

"Oh my God," I muttered.

Alcide smiled one of those charming smiles at me that once upon a time made my heart flutter right into my throat. "Sookie. Wow, it's been a long time."

"Uh, yeah, it has," I agreed. The last time we saw each other was at his sister's wedding three months after we broke up.

"How've you been?" he was still smiling. I was still dumbstruck.

"Good," I finally managed to say. "I've been good."

"What have you been up to?"

"Oh uh, you know, work…" Lame, lame, lame. "Jason got married back in January."

"I heard. Mom told me," he explained.

Right. Even after our breakup our mothers had remained friends. I had given explicit instructions to my mother not to pass along information about my life to Mrs. Herveaux. I didn't need it getting back to Alcide. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was trying to claw my way back in through his mother.

"Yeah, it was… it was interesting," I laughed awkwardly.

"How so?" Alcide tilted his head.

"You know Jason. He never really struck anyone to be the marrying kind, and you know Pam," I shrugged.

"He married _Pam_?" Alcide's eyes bugged a little.

"Your Mom didn't mention that part?" I snickered, but then continued, "Yeah, he married Pam."

"That _is _interesting," Alcide nodded. "What else are you up to? Are you seeing someone? Married? Have kids?"

I got a little flustered for a minute there. It was just so weird to be standing in front of him and I immediately wished Eric had come with me. It wouldn't feel so weird if Eric was standing next to me. Then again, I suspect there would be a whole other level of awkward to deal with.

"Um, yeah, I've been seeing someone for about a month now," I said, but couldn't quite get myself to tell him that it was Eric. I don't know why. "No kids though. I've dealt with a lot of swings and misses."

"What about the new guy? Is he a keeper?"

I smiled and said, "I'm a little crazy about him. We've been friends for a long time, so…"

"Someone I know?" Alcide asked.

Fuck.

"Eric." I saw no use in lying.

"Eric?" Alcide's eyes got a little dark. Ruhroh. "Eric Northman?"

"Yep, Eric Northman," I nodded.

Awkward silence, party of two, your table is ready.

"How about you? Are you with someone else?" I needed to switch gears. I wasn't prepared for his answer.

Alcide held up his left hand for me to see a ring sitting on his finger and I felt something in me crumble. What the fuck? Mr. I'll Never Marry Again was married?

"You're married," I said as if I'd seen a ghost.

"For about a year now," he said and my eyes snapped up to his.

"Wow," I didn't know what else to say. "Well congratulations."

"Thanks. We uh… I didn't expect to… you know how I felt about marriage," he said awkwardly.

No shit.

"What changed your mind?"

"Felt right, I guess. Maria Starr is…" he trailed off, and I was actually glad he did. I didn't really want to hear all about his new wife. "We're expecting."

Okay, now I was pissed.

"You're married _and_ having a baby?"

"Sookie, I know I said-"

"Doesn't matter," I said bitterly. I shouldn't have been pissed, but I was. "Just because we were together for how long… nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Good for you, Alcide."

"Sookie…"

"No, really, it's fine. I should get going, though. I'm supposed to be meeting Eric for dinner. It was good to see you," I said and started to walk away, but Alcide grabbed my hand.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I wasn't ready back then, Sookie. It wasn't your fault."

I jerked my hand away and said, "You did me a favor, Alcide. I loved you so much it hurt me in a bad way. I'm better off without you."

I paused for a moment to see if Alcide had a response, but all I got out of him was a sigh. I didn't turn back to look at him. I couldn't, and I wouldn't.

"Goodbye, Alcide," I said in a firm voice and then walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this would be a good time to mention that when Scribe and I first started this story, it stemmed from me watching the episode of Friends when Monica and Chandler were coming back from London and trying to convince themselves that their hookups should be limited to London. Alcide is pretty much Sookie's Richard, and if you're a fan of Friends, you'll know precisely what that means. If not, PM me and I'll be happy to explain it. But we'll get into Sookie's relationship with Alcide a little bit more in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	14. Best I Ever Had

**Okay, quick pop culture lesson for those of you who didn't watch Friends. Before Monica and Chandler hooked up, Monica dated an older man named Richard for quite a while. She was convinced he was 'the one,' but he had already been married and had a daughter that was roughly the same age as Monica. He didn't want to go through all of that again and since Monica wanted to get married and have babies, she broke up with Richard. For the longest time she considered him to be the love of her life. They tried doing the friends with benefits thing a while later, but that didn't work out since they ended up right back where they started. Eventually Monica hooked up with Chandler and they got married, but for a long time Richard was the one that got away. Hopefully that clears things up.**

**Now I feel it's necessary to say that Sookie might have considered Alcide to be the one that got away once upon a time, but she doesn't want him back. She's very happy with Eric, and she knows that it was for the best that things with Alcide ended because they wanted different things. And for those of you worried about Eric pulling out when they bang, according to Scribe "maybe he just likes the look of his spunk on her skin." So hopefully that clears that up. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Best I Ever Had<span>**  
><strong>

"_And it may take some time to patch me up inside, but I can't take it so I run away and hide. And I may find in time that you were always right, you're always right." –Vertical Horizon_

I sat in the driveway outside Eric's house for a few minutes, trying to get myself to be not so in a funk. I knew I was going to have to tell Eric that I had run into Alcide. I was also now very aware that Eric wasn't Alcide's biggest fan, and given Eric's issues with commitment I didn't want him to think that I had regrets about missing a chance to marry my first love. That chance had never really been mine, and now I knew for sure that it never would be.

I was taking deep breaths with my eyes closed when there was a knock on the window beside me. My eyes popped open and Eric was standing on the other side of the door with a confused and concerned look on his face. I turned the car off, grabbed my purse and opened the door.

"Hey," I threw on a smile, but it wasn't genuine.

_Please don't let him notice I was crying. Please don't let him notice,_ I prayed silently.

"Hey. Why are your eyes puffy and red?"

Fuck.

"I was crying," I admitted. I wasn't going to lie to him.

"Why?" he asked, pulling me into a hug.

I blew out a breath and said, "Okay, I'm going to tell you this but please... just for a minute be my friend and not my boyfriend. Can you do that for me?"

"I think so, but maybe we should go inside where it's warm first."

"Yes please," I closed the door behind me and we walked hand in hand into the house. I let go of him so I could take off my coat and shoes.

Sully came trotting over to give me my welcome back kisses, and then the three of us went to the living room. Eric had a fire going in the fireplace, and he reached up for me to sit down beside him on the couch. I sort of curled into myself, but I was leaning against him.

"I was at the store and I wasn't paying attention where I was going. I ran into someone..." I trailed off, stalling for time. I was probably making it worse by not just spitting it out, but I couldn't get myself to say the words.

"Who was it?"

"Alcide," I said in a voice so quiet I wasn't sure he would hear me.

"Oh, how did that go? Wait, he's why you were crying?"

"Sort of. He uh, he's married now," my voice cracked. I didn't want to cry about it. I meant what I said about being better off without him.

"Seriously? The guy who broke up with you because he never wanted to get married again?"

"It gets better. His wife is pregnant," I sniffled and wiped my eyes. "I don't even know why I'm crying about this. I don't miss him. I don't want him back..."

"You're crying because that asshole has the things you want, and they're the same things he denied you."

I looked up at Eric and marveled at how well he got me sometimes. I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me into his lap. "Thank you for understanding," I whispered and squeezed my eyes closed.

"You don't have to thank me, Sook. You're my best friend, and I remember very well what that prick put you through. For him to just move on and marry the next girl to come along was a dick move. I mean, it's not like he should have come back and said, 'Hey, I'm ready to get married and make babies now,' but it would have been nice of him to send an email or something, apologizing for making you depressed for months," he ranted.

"I wonder if my Mom knew about this and just didn't tell me. My parents still live a block away from his, and our moms talk all the time. I told Alcide about you. He looked pissed," I said and that actually made me smile. Good, fuck him.

"Your mom was probably just trying to protect you. And I'm glad he looked pissed. Asshole never liked me much. I think he thought you and I had had a thing or something."

"No, I think Alcide was afraid you were going to somehow swoop in and convince me that being with him was a mistake," I told him. "But it doesn't matter now anyway. He's married to someone else, and I'm happy being with you."

"I'm happy you're happy. He didn't deserve you anyway."

"Thank you," I squeezed him. "You can go back to being my boyfriend now if you want."

"Okay, then it's safe to say that I'm jealous that he ever got to have you in any way, and I'd like to go kick his ass for making you cry."

I laughed quietly and said, "You wouldn't be you if you didn't. But just remember, you raised the bar."

"Because I'm awesome," he grinned, and kissed me.

"There's that... and I can be myself with you. I don't have to worry about keeping pieces tucked away because I'm worried you won't understand. Alcide and I were together for somewhere around six years, when you tally it all up. It took me a while to realize that I was a different person when I was with him. I don't feel like that happens when I'm with you. I'm just me."

It was true. I could never have a small breakdown when Alcide was around because he didn't know what to do with me. I could never be the goofy girl who talked to her cinnamon rolls. I definitely couldn't have gotten dressed up in that maid costume. There were all sorts of things I could do with Eric that I couldn't do with Alcide, and not once did Eric judge me for any of it.

"You shouldn't have to be someone you're not, especially around your boyfriend. And as a matter of fact, I like you just the way you are, and even in sweatpants," he said, and kissed the tip of my nose.

"As long as I don't wear them in bed."

"Exactly."

I laughed again and rested my head on his shoulder. "You know, as shitty as it was to go through all that, it obviously worked out for the best. He's happily married and having a kid. I went through a couple of other not so great boyfriends, but now I have one I feel very lucky to have found, even if he was right under my nose the whole time."

"I agree."

"I would be worried if you didn't," my eyes fluttered closed. Stupid emotions were wearing me out.

"Tired, sweetheart?"

"A little," I snuggled against him.

"Nap?"

I nodded and said, "Yes please. You wore me out yesterday. I don't think I've caught up yet."

"Then it is my duty to make sure you do catch up," he said, and shifted on the couch so he was lying down, then pulled me on top of him.

"You want me to sleep on top of you?" I lifted my head and looked down at him.

"I'm comfy, right?"

"Like a great, big, cuddly teddybear," I smirked, kissed his chin and put my head down.

"Good, then close your eyes, and go to sleep. You could also wake me up in a creative way if you want," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"Smothering?" I joked and tugged on the pillow behind his head.

"Nope, not that. I was thinking more like... grinding..."

"Mmm... I'll have to remember that. Although my body seems to do whatever it wants when you're around, no matter what my brain says," I yawned and reached for the blanket on the back of the couch.

"And I like the things it does."

"It does usually seem to turn out well," I said as he helped me spread the blanket out. "You're not going to be too warm, are you?"

"I'll be just fine. My hot girlfriend is lying on top of me, and her boobs are all pressed against me."

I giggled sleepily and kissed his chest. "You're a goofball."

"You love it," he said, and started rubbing my back gently.

"It's one of your best qualities," I yawned again.

"I have many good ones."

"You do," I agreed and rubbed my hips against his. "That's one of my favorites."

He groaned, "See, if you start that, the nap isn't happening."

"I'm stopping," I sighed. "You'll have to settle for just the boobs."

"At least until the nap is over."

"At least."

Between the sound of Eric's heart beating under my ear, his fingers in my hair and the cozy comfort of lying on top of him, I was out cold in no time. When I woke up the sun was gone and Eric was snoring softly underneath me. I kissed up his neck to his ear and whispered, "Eric, wake up."

"Just a little longer," he grumbled.

My response was more kisses on his neck and his arms tightened around my back, preventing me from moving very much. "I'm not going anywhere," I whispered.

"Please tell me you're in the mood."

I snaked a hand between us and rubbed against him as I said, "Always."

"Oh fuck me, please. I mean that literally."

"You're going to have to unlock your arms first," I reminded him and sucked on a spot on his neck that made his body jerk a little.

His arms unlocked immediately, and made their way to various fun parts of my body. I pushed myself up and pulled my shirt off. His sleepy eyes got a little wider, only to hood over. His hands moved from my hips, up my sides to my boobs, and then around to my back to unhook my bra.

"You'd think it would be warmer in here with the fire going," I snorted when I broke out in goose bumps.

"I'll warm you up, don't even worry about it," he promised, and sat up enough to take a nipple into his mouth.

I moaned and ran my fingers through his hair. My hips started to rock against his, and he released my nipple to go after my lips instead. Mmm... one of those kisses that turned my insides to jelly. When the kiss broke I smiled at him and said, "No one else has ever kissed me like that."

"No one else has ever made me feel like you do," he said, his expression intense.

"And how's that?" Yeah, I was fishing. I figured I was entitled after all of his expeditions, not to mention my earlier run-in with Alcide.

"Like I never want to see you sad, or make you cry," he said, then smiled. "Like I give a shit if you were to break up with me."

Okay, now that might not sound like a big deal, but for Eric, it was huge. I rewarded him for it with a kiss of my own that I hoped did the same things to him as his did to me.

"I'm not going anywhere, Eric," I said against his lips.

"I'm glad," he said.

"In two days it'll be a month since we first slept together," I reminded him. "We made it through the first month. You don't feel like kicking me to the curb yet?"

He sat up quickly with a serious expression on his face. "No, and I'm not going to."

"Just checking," I cupped his face, "because I would give a shit if you broke up with me, too."

"Not gonna happen."

We kissed a little more but then his phone started ringing on the end table. I pulled back and Eric rolled his eyes in frustration, while I laughed. By the _Psycho_ theme music coming from the phone, I knew it was Pam calling.

"Dammit!" he yelled after he answered it. Apparently Pam liked to relay bad news immediately. "Did you fire him? No, I'll take care of that. Yes, I'll come in right now."

He hung up, and looked at me with sad puppy eyes.

"Problem at the office?" I climbed off of him.

"Yes. Would it be too much to ask for a quickie?"

I didn't get to answer that. Instead I got knocked back on the couch and Eric dove on top of me. Not that I would have said no, but still... He pulled my jeans off, but only unzipped his. I worked them down just enough, and he groaned when he ran the head of his cock over my wet folds. I pulled his mouth to mine and he pushed into me. My nails dug into his back and he pounded into me fast and hard. My legs wrapped around him, pushing him deeper inside me.

"Oh fuck," I whimpered in his ear when he attacked my neck.

He somehow managed to brace himself on one hand and used the other to rub my clit. It was fast and hard, but Eric knew my body well enough to be able to get me off quickly, and he came right after I did. He dropped on top of me, his forehead sweaty and his body shaking.

"Jesus, Eric…" I sucked in air.

"I could say the same," he panted. "I think we just set a new record."

"Mmmm..." it was all I could muster at the moment.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded with a smile on my face, and my eyes closed. "Very."

"Good. I didn't want it to be like jackrabbiting," he smiled. "And I hate to wham bam, but I really do have to go."

"I know; it's okay. I promise to be naked in your bed when you get back," I kissed him hard.

When the kiss broke he said, "I can't wait to get back then."

"Me either," I bit my bottom lip.

He groaned when he pulled back, and grabbed tissues to clean us up. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll be here... naked... waiting for you..." I teased.

"And I'll be back even faster now."

I rolled on my side and watched him fix his clothes. "It's a crime for you to wear clothing," I sighed and draped the blanket over me.

"It's a sin for you to ever be covered."

"Yeah, but my human blanket is leaving me," I pouted.

"Your human blanket will be back later to cover you for a long time," he said, and leaned down to kiss me goodbye.

"I'd tell you to say hi to Pam for me, but that'd probably raise an eyebrow, so just hurry up and do her bidding so you can get back here and ravage me again," I winked at him. I didn't get off the couch. If I did, he'd never leave. As it was, his phone started ringing again.

"Shit," he growled, and not in the way I wished he was growling it. "Alright, the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be fucking you again."

"Then get going. Scram. I'm sick of you," I smiled and waved him away.

"Okay, okay, bye," he laughed, and took off.

I passed the time by getting caught up on some of my email and letting Sully out. One hour passed, and then two. It was dinnertime, but I figured I'd wait until I heard from Eric to decide what to do about that. In the meantime, I ate an apple. When it was going on the third hour, I finally got a text message from him letting me know he was on his way back, and he expected me to be upstairs waiting for him.

I put my phone on silent, locked the front door and then headed upstairs. Purely on a whim, I grabbed the nightgown I'd brought with me and slipped it on. I stretched out on his enormous bed and snuggled his pillow. I smiled to myself and felt my heart skip a beat when the garage door went up below me. Less than a minute later I heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Oh Sookie," he called when he got to the bedroom door.

"Hi," I smiled at him.

"Are you... are you wearing a nightgown?"

"Mmhmm."

"And why are you wearing a nightgown?" he asked, then pulled his sweatervest over his head.

"Because I feel like it," I put a little sass in it.

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt as he stalked towards the bed. "I thought we had agreed that you'd be naked."

"Changed my mind," I shrugged.

"Without asking?"

"You're not the boss of me."

"Perhaps not, but I spent all those hours at work thinking you'd be waiting in my bed, naked, only to find you clothed."

"This is hardly clothed," I shifted one of my legs and it left me pretty exposed from my hips down.

He growled, dropped his jeans, and practically pounced on me. "Fuck, I missed you."

"I can tell," I said when I felt his erection pressed against my thigh. "Did you get everything straightened out at the bar?"

"Yup, everything's fine now," he said, his hands working my nightgown up and off my body.

"Look at that... I'm naked in your bed," I smirked. "All that pouting for nothing."

"Less talking," he growled, then kissed me.

"But I like talking," I said with his lips pressed against me, muffling my voice.

To shut me up, he ground his hips against me. Well, it stopped me talking, but did make me make noise. I reached between us and started stroking his cock, but he moved my hand away. He kissed his way down my body, stopping at my breasts to pay them their worship, and the moved further down. He kissed my mound, then spread my folds with his fingers. He looked up at me with that heated, predatory look in his eyes, and then licked me from my opening to my clit.

"Again," I panted, and he complied.

In fact he did it several times before latching onto my clit and alternately sucking and flicking it with his tongue. When my hips started writhing, he slipped two of his fingers into me and started to pump them in and out slowly. My hands grasped the sheets and my leg somehow ended up over his shoulder. He held me down while he fucked me with his fingers and tongue until I was seeing stars and calling his name.

He looked up at me with a smug expression on his face.

"We're not finished yet, sweetheart," he informed me, and kissed his way back up my body to my breasts.

I didn't notice it right away, but he was stroking his cock while he played with my nipples, and it made my core clench a little. Holy hell, that struck me as sexy. I didn't know if this was something new, or if I had just never noticed him doing it before. Either way, I liked it.

But then he released my nipple and got up on his knees with his hand still stroking his cock. He just stared at me for a few seconds and then said, "Touch yourself, Sookie."

"Where?" I stared at his hand and he groaned.

"Where you want my cock," his eyes flared and my breath caught.

I lifted my hand and brought it to my lips. He growled and I started to suck my fingers. His hand moved a little faster and I moaned like I had his cock in my mouth instead.

"Do you want me to fuck that pretty mouth of yours, Sookie?" He reached out and rubbed my clit with his thumb. My legs were open wide, having anticipated that he would just fuck me after I came.

I nodded and took my fingers out of my mouth. I was surprised when Eric got off the bed and stood beside it. He motioned for me to lay down with my head hanging over the edge. I opened my mouth and he watched as he slid his cock inside. I moaned as he started to slide down my throat a little.

He leaned over and put my hand between my legs, guiding my fingers over my clit for a moment while he hips started to thrust. When we had a good rhythm going he moved his fingers down further and slid them into me. I tried to cry out, but the sound was muffled by his cock in my mouth. I swirled my tongue when I could, but Eric pulled out sooner than I wanted him to.

"When I come, it's going to be here," he said, and crooked his fingers inside me.

"Fuck, Eric," I cried out loudly and he smiled down at me.

"Do you want me to fuck you, sweetheart?" He touched my face gently with his free hand.

"Yes," I moaned and rubbed my clit a little faster. "God, I'm gonna come again," I told him.

"Not yet," he pulled my hand away as he pulled his fingers out of me. "Turn over, Sookie. Show me where you want me to fuck you. Let me see how wet you are."

I rolled over and got on my knees. Eric walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed up behind me. He ran his hand over my ass and down my thigh. He traced over my lower lips and asked, "Do you want me to fuck you here," he touched the opening of my pussy, "or maybe here," he moved his fingers to my ass.

"Eric," I whimpered.

"Here," he said and I felt his cock sliding through my folds. I nodded because I didn't have words. "You're so wet for me, sweetheart. How long before you're coming all over my cock and threatening my last bit of control?"

"Eric," I pleaded, "shut up and fuck me."

"As you wish," he kissed my shoulder and thrust into me.

"Yes! Eric, fuck me!" I cried, my muscles clenching around him, gripping him tightly.

He grabbed my hips and started slowly, gradually increasing his pace, only to slow down again. Then all of a sudden he delivered a stinging slap to one of my lower cheeks and I cried out, my pussy clenching around his cock. Fuck, it felt good. Just that little bit of contrast in sensations drove me crazy.

"Want more, Sookie?" He growled and raised his hand, then brought it down on the other cheek.

I was back on the edge, so close to my orgasm I could almost taste it. He pulled out of me and a moment later I felt his tongue sliding into my opening. His hand came down again on my ass as he tongued me. It was intense and the constant change of sensations was throwing me over the edge.

"Eric! Ohmygod, ohmygod!" I screamed as my orgasm began, and Eric drove his cock into me again.

"Fuck, Sookie!" He shouted while my muscles clamped down on his cock, not letting him thrust.

I was still trembling when he pulled back only to slam back inside me. He was thrusting slow and deep, enjoying the spasms of aftershocks that kept my muscles fluttering. He pulled out and flipped me onto my back. Since I was still jelly, he grabbed me by the underside of my parted knees and pulled me closer.

He pushed in again and watched the bounce of my boobs as he attempted to fuck me through the mattress. He leaned down to kiss me roughly. I was sure my lips would be bruised later. He nipped down my neck to my nipples, teasing one and then the other. His hips began to piston against me, pumping his cock into me hard and fast, over and over. My third orgasm began to build and I knew that would be it for me.

"Are you going to come again for me, sweetheart?" He said, watching his cock slide in and out of me.

"Yes," I whimpered.

"Rub your clit for me, Sookie. Make your perfect, tight pussy come again," he instructed, pounding into me a little harder.

I reached down and rubbed myself until it became too much and I came undone again, panting and calling his name. I thought I might pass out for a moment, but it was Eric's voice that kept me grounded.

"Stay with me, Sookie," he leaned down and kissed me. "I want you to feel how hard you make me come," he said against my lips.

I felt him swell inside me and then he let loose a roar while he emptied himself into me. His entire body shook, and I felt the hot release shoot into me. I told my arms to wrap around him, but my body wasn't taking commands at the moment. I was finished. Eric dropped on top of me, continuing to thrust gently for a few seconds before he pulled out and rolled to the side.

"Fuck, Sookie, I have never... How do you do that?" He asked with wonderment in his voice.

"Do what?" I gasped and somehow found the strength to turn my head.

"Make me come that hard," he supplied, and in spite of what we'd just done, I blushed.

"Talent?" I guessed.

"Fuck," he muttered and rolled onto his side to kiss me. "Thank you."

"The pleasure was all mine," I laughed that giddy laugh of a woman who'd had an intense orgasm.

"Shower?" Eric asked.

"Not until my legs start working again," I laughed some more. I was pretty sure I had just been fucked stupid. "How can you even move right now?"

"I can't, I was hoping you could carry me there."

"Oh my God," I burst out laughing. "Not on my _best_ day, at full strength. I could maybe drag you there, but I don't think you'd like it very much."

"Probably not," he laughed. "How about we wait until we can move, then walk to the shower, then crawl back into bed to sleep?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," I turned and rested my head on his chest. "So what happened at the bar?"

"One of the waiters was stealing."

"Oh shit. You didn't have to like, go bury a body, did you?"

"No, I had to go deal with the cops. Remember when the inventory was fucked up?"

"Yeah," I said, recalling that night with exceptional clarity since it had left Eric in a rather foul mood.

"This guy was the one responsible for that. He stole the booze. I had to apologize to Clancy. He was also stealing money, which is what Pam caught."

"Wow. That sucks. I'm sorry that happened," I squeezed him as best I could from that position.

"It's okay. At least Pam caught him before he could do some major damage."

"Do you know how much he got away with? I mean obviously this wasn't the first time he did it," I turned a little and rested my chin on his chest so I could look at his face.

"Pam did the math before she called, and it was only about five hundred all together because he was doing it in small increments. But that with the alcohol, and it was about seven hundred."

"Jesus," I muttered and shook my head. "That's insane. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. He's gone, and we caught it before it got worse. Plus, we're suing him for the money he stole."

"Ugh. He better be paying your legal fees, too. Even small claims takes forfuckever and costs an arm and a leg. Want me to call my Dad and have one of his buddies out here fuck with the guy's paperwork so his processing takes longer?" I offered and Eric's eyes widened.

"I'll let you know," he said. "But I think we're hoping to just scare him with the lawsuit and he'll cough up the money out of court."

"That would be easier for everyone," I sighed and laid my head back down. I flexed my legs a little and said, "I think my legs are working again."

"Oh good, commence with the dragging me to the shower."

"Seriously?" I pushed myself up and the second my boobs came into view, his eyes glazed over.

"No, not really, I don't want rug burn. Maybe we should just stay in bed and bang a little more," he said, his eyes never leaving my chest.

"I think we've banged enough today, baby," I climbed off the bed, much to his dismay, and headed for the bathroom. "Maybe for the week," I teased over my shoulder.

"Sookie," he called after me, reaching out. "I can't move yet."

"Then I'll shower by myself!" I called from the bathroom. "If I get back in that bed the shower won't happen." I was onto his tricks. I started the water for the shower.

It was magic, I swear. Eric somehow found the strength to get up and stagger into the bathroom and get in the shower with me. Miraculous.

"Oooh look who's here," I smirked as I put my head under the water.

"I somehow found the strength. I think it was knowing I would get to see you wet and naked."

"Your favorite combination," I snorted and reached for the shampoo.

"Indeed."

We took turns getting each other cleaned up, and when he started getting fresh with me, I slapped his hands away. "No more. I'm done for tonight. Any fun you plan on having with me better be from the waist up."

"Why don't they make vaginas more resilient?"

I scoffed and said, "If you were smaller it wouldn't be an issue."

"I don't think you'd want me as much if I were smaller."

"Yes I would. I told you I like the whole package. That's just a piece of you, but it doesn't define you as a person. Besides, you have plenty of other talents," I smiled at him.

"Well of course I do, I'm awesome," he grinned.

"Modest, too," I stepped around him so he could rinse off, and got out of the shower before I somehow ended up against the wall. He was opportunistic like that.

"Just so you know," he said from inside the stall. "I'd still like you if you had smaller boobs."

"I would hope so," I wrapped a towel around me and went to the sink to brush my teeth.

"One thing I do know I would like when it comes to kids, is that your boobs would get bigger," he said as he stepped out of the shower.

I paused for a minute at the mention of kids, but quickly reminded myself to keep brushing my teeth. I didn't know how to react to what he just said, or if he even meant anything by it other than the obvious. Did he even realize what I might infer from a statement like that? Of course I was wondering if that meant he wanted kids, but I just kept moving like he hadn't said anything at all.

"They won't stay that way," I tried to smile around my toothbrush.

"Which means we would just have to have another," he said as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I froze as he kissed my shoulder. "Do you know what you're saying right now?" I asked nervously.

"I had one of those epiphany things the other day, and I didn't really know how to talk about it," he said. "I know that I want kids someday, and I know that you will make a great mother someday, and that's really all I know right now on this subject."

Wow. That was a big step for him, not only to come to that realization, but then to say it out loud. I rinsed my toothbrush and smiled at him in the mirror. "Okay," was all I said.

"I think what it means is that if we were to have an accident, I would be okay with it. I mean, I don't think I'm ready to be a dad tomorrow or anything, but if it was you I was having a kid with, I know we'd handle it right. I could deal with you for the next eighteen years," he chuckled.

My breath caught in my chest, and it was strange how I felt a little bit of panic at the things he was saying. I was still getting used to the transition between us, and now here _he_ was talking about babies and being together in eighteen years. What a fucked up turn of events that was. I turned around to face him and tried to figure out what I wanted to say that wouldn't get him all freaked out.

I decided to go with the truth. "I'm a little at a loss for words at the moment. I wasn't expecting to hear that from you."

He picked me up and set me on the counter, then kissed me reassuringly. "The other day at work, I overheard some customers. This guy was talking about how the condom broke and he knocked this chick up, and now she was being an epic bitch, demanding child support and he was complaining about how he was stuck with a psycho for eighteen years. First of all, I wanted to hit the guy, but instead I went to my office. I thought about what would happen if we had an oops with the birth control failing. At first I panicked at the thought of being a dad, but then I pictured the kid. You have to admit that you and I are attractive people, so obviously our kid would be pretty fucking cute. And I don't know, I just kind of calmed down. It just hit me that you and I would be okay. Even if we ended up breaking up in a few years, we would still be okay because when you have a kid, the kid is what matters. So I guess I'm not sure if I can really say, 'I want kids,' but I know I can say that I want kids with you. Just, not on purpose yet."

It was a step in the right direction, I knew that, but there was a part of me that didn't know how to react to the idea that he was okay with being 'forced' into it, but not having it as part of his plan. He would do it if he had to, but would it be because he wanted to? I told myself that he was trying, that he was thinking about it, and even though I wanted to press him on it, I didn't. It was still early in our relationship.

"That's okay, Eric," I smiled at him. "When you know, you know."

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You don't seem happy about it."

"It's not that," I sighed and tried to pick my words carefully because I didn't want to make him feel bad, and I didn't want to fight. "I guess I'm just worried that someday I'm going to say that I want a baby. I'll be ready for it, and it's something I'm going to want and you'll either still not be sure, or you'll decide it isn't what you want after all. But it's really too soon to be worrying about it. I'm getting ahead of myself."

"No, it's okay. I understand why you would be concerned about that. And hopefully I'll get there someday, and I'll be able to tell you I want to have kids on purpose. I guess I just wanted you to know that if we were to accidentally get pregnant, I'm not going to run away from it."

"Good, because I would definitely come after your ass. You wouldn't get very far," I wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for telling me this stuff. It means a lot to me that you've been thinking about it."

"You're welcome," he smiled like a kid proud of his newest drawing. "Now let's get dry and back in bed. You done wore me out, Stackhouse."

"See, now I think I should be allowed to wear clothes to bed so as not to further tempt you," I said as I slid off the counter.

"I can control myself."

I snorted in disbelief and dropped my towel before sauntering back into his bedroom. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked, and especially when I climbed up onto his bed. "If you say so," I pulled the blanket up over me.

"I. Can," he said, clipping his words as though he was fighting the urge to pounce.

"Okay," I turned onto my stomach, snuggled into a pillow and closed my eyes.

"Don't fall asleep yet, I have to brush my teeth and pee."

I opened one eye and asked, "And you need an audience for this?"

"Nope, I just maybe want to talk to you more when I get back in there."

"I'm not going to sleep yet, just resting my eyes."

"That's what you always say."

"I promise not to fall asleep, now brush your teeth already!"

"Yeah yeah," he said, and I heard him turn on the water.

Eric did what he needed to do and once he was settled in bed I stayed on my stomach but angled my body the other way so I had my head on his chest. I was going to be sorry in the morning that I hadn't combed my hair, but oh well. I was too comfortable to get up.

"I'm still awake. What did you want to talk about?" I yawned.

"Nothing, I just feel awkward crawling into bed when you're asleep."

"So I stayed awake for nothing?" I would have lifted my head to growl at him, but again, I was too damn comfortable.

"Hush now," he yawned. "Go to sleep."

I kept my eyes closed, but sleep didn't come to me like I thought it would. Eric stretched an arm out and turned off the lights, leaving us in almost total darkness. I was vaguely aware of Sully coming into the room and taking up his spot over by the heat vent. My brain was suddenly flushed with the image of Eric holding a baby that looked like the perfect blend of the two of us. It was strange how half of me melted at the thought of it, while the other wondered if he really, truly wanted a kid.

If it was forced on him, he wouldn't run, but he couldn't plan for it. I still didn't know how to wrap my head around that, especially since my feelings were the opposite. If I found out I was pregnant tomorrow, I would have a full blown panic attack. I wasn't ready for a baby yet. I didn't have the room, the money... I would have Eric's support, but...

I told my mind to quiet down and stop thinking about it. We were so far away from having to deal with all of that. I needed to focus my attention on something else, and it was at that moment that I heard Eric's mumbles. It made me smile.

He shifted and pulled me against him more tightly, and that's when he said it.

"I love you."

My head popped up so fast I thought I had whiplash for a second. I stared down at his relaxed face, and when the soft snores came a few seconds later, I didn't know what to do. I was sure he just said 'I love you,' but was he talking to me? Maybe he was dreaming? Again, I found myself torn on what to do. Should I wake him up and ask him if he meant it, or should I just ride it out and see if he said it again when he wasn't so far out in Lala Land?

It took a while before I was able to put my head down again, and even then, sleep still wasn't coming to me. What a fucking day it had been.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, he said those three magic words he's never said to another girl he's ever dated. Did he mean them, or was he sleeping? I'll tell you this much, Scribe and I were OMG'ing like you wouldn't believe when those words came out of his mouth. Personally, I think he meant it. I'm not sure what Scribe thinks, so if you want to know, feel free to ask her in reviews and I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you. Heck, we might even get another AN from Eric to kick off the next chapter. We'll see about that though. Thanks for reading!**


	15. My Valentine

**Okay, so I'm going to self pimp here for a hot second. Since this site has disabled links in profiles, I created a tumblr for my fanfiction stuff. So now you can find the banners and other things I've created that go along with my stories. You can ask questions, submit things, etc. and I've enabled anons so you don't need to have an account in order to contact me. You can find that blog at makesmyheadspinfanfic(dot)tumblr(dot)com. See you at the bottom!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15: My Valentine<span>**  
><strong>

"_All of my life I have been waiting for all you give to me. You've opened my eyes and shown me how to love unselfishly." –Martina McBride_

I woke up on Valentine's Day, kicking myself for not having stayed at Eric's house the night before. I had gotten out of work late, thanks to a meeting that ran _way _over what it should have. I ended up going out for drinks with my boss and a couple of girls from the office. We all needed them after the day we had. If it wouldn't have been so far out of the way, I would have brought them to Eric's bar, but Deerfield and Schaumburg weren't exactly neighboring towns.

It was nice, for a change, to be able to talk about my boyfriend with other people. So far, it was just work friends and Missy who knew that Eric and I were seeing each other. Oh, and Alcide, but I didn't really count him since none of my friends had anything to do with him anymore. Eric and I had made it through the first month with flying colors, and I had no intention of pulling the plug on him. Things were going well. So well it was almost scary. The transition had been much smoother than I'd thought it would be.

After having a little more than a week to think it over myself I told the girls about Eric's sleepy confession of love. Eric hadn't said it since, and I hadn't brought it up to him. I had myself convinced that he had to have been dreaming at the time, or that he wasn't thinking of me when the words came out. The girls all seemed to think I needed to confront Eric about what he'd said, but was it fair to do that when he was obviously asleep?

Elle pointed out that maybe Eric had been playing possum, that he chose that moment to see what my reaction was to his confession. Perhaps he was afraid it was too soon, and those words would freak me out. I rejected that idea. Okay, so the talk of kids had freaked me out, but that was only because his logic on the subject still evaded me a little when my way of thinking was the total opposite. His way of thinking practically begged me to stop taking my birth control if I ever decided I wanted to get pregnant, but I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't trap him into being a father.

Maybe that was why he felt comfortable telling me about his feelings, because he knew he could trust me not to take advantage of him. He knew I wasn't ready to be someone's mother, quite yet, and I definitely didn't want that with someone who wasn't really sure they wanted to be a father. I didn't talk about the issue of children with the girls. That I kept to myself.

Elle rather pointedly asked me if I was in love with Eric. Because the word 'yes' wasn't screaming at me in my head the way it had in the past, I knew that I wasn't. I was crazy about Eric. I really liked being with him, and I was excited about seeing where our relationship went. I knew the difference between loving someone and _being _in love with them, and although I knew my feelings for Eric had shifted significantly in the last month, I wasn't in love with him. Not yet.

By the time I was headed home for the night it was after seven, and I needed to do some cleaning around the house and throw in a load of laundry. Eric told me I could just bring my laundry over to his place, but that wasn't really convenient for me. He wasn't going to be home until late anyway, and I didn't want to leave my clothes at his place all day if I didn't have to. Besides, we would be seeing each other soon anyway.

His first Valentine's Day since that silly high school girl dumped him when he was sixteen. Or maybe it was just the first one that meant anything to him. Whatever the case may be, I was glad he was excited about it. Truthfully, it had been a while since I was either. Alcide and I had done the Valentine's Day thing in high school because it was what was expected, but to me it always seemed like such a waste. What I didn't tell Eric was that it was on that first Valentine's Day that Alcide and I had spent together was when I'd lost my virginity.

He didn't need to know that though, did he? I mean, if he asked, that would be another story. I would tell him the truth. Lying never did anyone any favors, and especially not with a guy like Eric where relationships were already something difficult for him to navigate. I had a feeling that breaking his trust would be more devastating than it would be with the average guy. But the most important thing was that I didn't _want _to lie to Eric. I wanted him to know everything.

I slapped the snooze button on my alarm clock and grumbled at myself for those couple of glasses of wine I'd had the night before. Wine always gave me a headache. I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered them. For a good five minutes I contemplated calling in sick, but knew Elle would see right through that. She knew I had plans with Eric tomorrow, and had consented to let me switch my work from home day so I wouldn't have to go into the office tomorrow.

Have I mentioned that I love my boss?

I forced myself up out of bed and into the bathroom to start the shower. While I waited for the water to warm I headed to the kitchen to start the coffee pot. I turned on the TV and flipped channels to the WGN morning news. I doubled over to see the always goofy weatherman wearing a pair of glittery heart shaped glasses and what appeared to be cupid's wings. Gotta love a morning newscast that doesn't take itself too seriously.

I rubbed my eyes and went straight to the coffee maker to get it started, but stopped when I saw something out of place in my peripheral vision. A slow turn to my right revealed a massive bouquet red, pink and white lilies. My jaw dropped as I walked toward them. The pedals felt like velvet when I touched them, and they smelled heavenly. It took a few seconds to find the card, but I didn't need to read it to know they were from Eric.

_I hope you like the flowers, and I can't wait to see you tonight._  
><em>P.S. Check your microwave<em>

I set the card down on the table, started the coffee maker and went to the microwave. The door popped open when I hit the release and I found myself staring at a plate of enormous cinnamon rolls that definitely didn't come from a can. "Hello, lover," I crooned at them and pulled the plate from the microwave.

My mouth was watering immediately, and as much as I wanted to start eating them right then, I had to get my ass in the shower or I was going to be late. I put the plate back in the microwave and hauled ass to the back of the house to get ready for work. A half an hour later I was showered, dressed and putting my makeup on while my hair air dried in the wild curls Eric preferred.

I grabbed my phone off my bedside table and dialed Eric's number as I made my way to the kitchen. Maybe it was rude to call him so early and wake him up, but there was no way I was going to thank him in a text message.

"Come on, Eric, pick up," I muttered as I poured myself a cup of coffee and started the microwave.

"Hello?" he grumbled into the phone.

"Next time we go out I'm wearing a skirt. No panties," I told him. Who needs hello when you can say that?

"You found the cinnamon rolls, didn't you?" he asked, sounding more awake and perky. Poor thing must have gotten up super early to sneak them into my house.

"I did. They're warming as we speak. Thank you. And I love the flowers! They're beautiful and they smell amazing," I leaned over and sniffed them again.

"You're welcome, but more importantly, the no panties thing..."

"I'll wear them tonight because you requested lingerie, but the next time... you earned it," I pulled the rolls from the microwave when the timer went off. The smell... mother of God.

"Does this also mean we get to have sex in public?"

"Mmm... I'll think about it," I promised. It was the best I could do.

"Out of sight of course," he said. "Think about it. But really, all you'd have to do is sit next to me in a restaurant with tablecloths. I'd have a lot of fun, and as soon as we got home I could just pull your skirt up and go to town."

My thighs rubbed together at the thought of it and I said, "Honey, you have to stop talking like that or I won't go to work today."

"Then I should let you get to eating so you can do the work thing."

"Yes, and you should get your rest," I took a bite of the cinnamon roll, my eyes rolled back into my head and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped me.

"Shit, phone sex first? You're moaning, sweetheart."

"Cinnamon roll," I said with my mouth full.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to hang up now."

"Thank you, Eric. Sweet dreams," I blew a kiss into the phone.

"Bye," he sighed, and hung up.

I felt bad for waking him up, but damn... I took another bite of the cinnamon roll in front of me and once again found myself plotting ways to show my gratitude.

**oOoOoOo**

I left work at exactly 4:30. I wasn't sure what time Eric was going to be getting done at the bar, but I wanted to be ready to go whenever he showed up. We didn't go on too many actual dates, so this was a treat for us. Traffic sucked, as expected, everyone having plans they needed to get home in time for. I pulled into my driveway at about quarter after five, and Sully was waiting at the door for me when I got in. I leashed him quickly and took him out to do his business. It was so much easier to be at Eric's and just let him out in the yard.

Thankfully Sully didn't seem interested in keeping me out all night, and we were back in the condo ten minutes later. I headed back toward my bedroom and pulled my phone from my purse to call Eric and find out if he had an ETA for me. I could only hope that Pam wasn't around when he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yup," he said. "In my office, and the door is locked."

"Ha! Well, I don't think you'll need a locked door for this conversation. I'm just wondering when you think you'll be here?" I flopped back on my bed and kicked off my shoes.

"Oh, damn, I thought you were calling to get me all riled up," he laughed. "I should be leaving in about twenty minutes, and I'll be stopping home to change before I get there."

"Then I don't need to get you all riled up. You've got a pretty good imagination all on your own. Just keep in mind that I will be rocking some dirty girl lingerie under my dress," I promised him.

"Good, I can't wait to rip it off of you later," he growled into the phone.

"No, no. No ripping," I told him and waited for the pouting to begin.

"Oh, it's the good stuff?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. All I'll say is that it's red."

"I can't wait."

"Me either. Okay, I'll let you go so I can get changed. See you soon?" I sat up and fluffed my hair a little.

"Yup."

"Bye," I said and hung up so I could change clothes.

I left the phone on the bed and started my iPod. I pulled off my work clothes and dropped them in my hamper. I switched out my basic bra and panties for the considerably fancier lingerie I had picked out. I had never done the garter belt thing before so it took me a minute to figure it out, but once I had it all in place, I understood the appeal. I was standing in my closet, debating which dress I wanted to wear when my phone rang again.

'You Shook Me All Night Long' was coming from my bedroom and my eyes went wide. Where the hell did that come from? I didn't put that on my phone. I loved AC/DC and all... Eric! I grabbed the phone off my bed and answered it quickly.

"Good work on the ringtone there. Did you do that while I was sleeping too?" I laughed.

"I have bad news," he said quickly.

"Uh oh. You're dumping me, right?" I joked.

"For the night, unfortunately," he said, sounding downright depressed.

I was quiet for a minute. My heart sank into my feet. My usually sunny demeanor was completely sucked out of me. I couldn't even think about finding the bright side. Apparently I was quiet for too long because Eric started explaining himself.

"I'm really, really sorry, and I'll make it up to you. One of the bartenders just up and quit, and one of the waitresses was a no call no show, so Pam and I have to fill in until it slows down."

"Awww baby it's okay. I understand," I told him, trying not to sound as disappointed as I felt. Secretly, I wanted to find the asshole that quit and kick him in the junk for this. "I would offer to come up there, but it sounds like you'd be too busy."

"We will be, and it'll just frustrate me since I'll know what you've got on underneath your clothes."

I sighed and said, "I understand. We'll just do this another night."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Please don't be mad."

"I'm mad, but not at you. I want to junk punch your bartender though," I pouted and plopped down on the end of my bed.

"Please do if you find him."

"Deal," I sighed again. "Well, if you get done at a reasonable time you can still come over. I promise not to ditch the lingerie until you tell me all hope is lost."

"Sounds perfect," he sighed. "I'm glad you're so awesome."

"I think you've rubbed off on me..." I couldn't stop the words before they came out of my mouth, and I burst out laughing at the puntastic nature of what I just said.

"Perhaps I have," he said, and I could tell he was smiling.

"Okay, go do your thing. I'll stay here and think dirty thoughts."

"I'll be thinking of you."

"You better," I blew a kiss at him. "Later."

"Bye."

"Bye," I said sullenly and hung up.

I let out a heavy, deep breath and debated what to do next. I grabbed my robe off the back of my bathroom door and tied it on. Obviously, if Eric showed up at all, it wouldn't be for another couple of hours. With that in mind, I went to the kitchen to see what I had in the freezer. My depressed girly brain insisted that it was perfectly acceptable in a situation like this to have rocky road ice cream and Oreos for dinner, but I went with a grilled cheese instead.

Stupidly, I let myself get sucked into one of the rom-coms that Eric hated. What I should have been watching was a slasher flick, but I couldn't make myself change the channel. I kept checking my phone to see if, by some chance, I had gone temporarily deaf and missed the screeching of AC/DC in the ten seconds since I last checked my phone. I was seriously going to throttle the bartender that quit with no notice. Asshole.

Of course it was while I was in the bathroom that my phone pinged. Unfortunately there was no good news when I got the text message waiting for me.

_E: Hope is lost for dinner, but I'll still come by as soon as I can get out of here._

I wanted to cry, I really did. I threw my phone done on the couch, but then picked it up again to text him back. I wasn't mad at Eric, just disappointed that the night was shot. I knew we should have planned for another night.

_S: I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll be here whenever you get done xoxo_

I hoped I would get a response, but my phone stated frustratingly, tragically silent. I gave in and let myself attack the container of rocky road. I flipped through the channels when _Love Actually_ ended, and stopped when I found that _Atonement_ was starting. I hadn't seen the movie before, but I had meant to, and I had been told repeatedly that I needed to watch it. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I figured I might as well.

It was a pretty decent movie and James McAvoy was always a lovely treat for the eyes. Keira Knightley was creepy thin, however. I wanted to crawl into the TV and force feed her the rest of my rocky road ice cream. I was just about to give up for the night and go to bed when the infamous library seen I'd heard so much about began to play itself out before me. At first I didn't see what the big deal was, but the more I watched, the more it grew on me. I cursed myself for a minute for not having a DVR so I could watch the scene a second time.

Instead, I turned off the TV, locked up and headed back to my bedroom. I was glad when Sully didn't follow me. I hung my robe up in the bathroom and debated what to do about the lingerie situation. Since I had no idea when Eric was going to show up, and I would more than likely be out cold when he did, I decided to save it for another night. It wouldn't be much fun for him to show up to a passed out girlfriend in naughty lingerie who didn't really feel like waking up enough to play with him.

I took off the lingerie and put it away in my closet for another night. I pulled on a wifebeater and a pair of boyshorts instead, and climbed into bed. My eyes closed, but I wasn't really tired. In my mind I replayed that _Atonement _scene, only I tried to imagine myself in that scene with Eric pressing me up against the bookshelves. It was surprisingly easy to do that, seeing as how he'd had me up against a couple of walls in the last month.

Since dirty thoughts were like Pringles, and once I popped, I couldn't stop, the scene kept going in my mind. Of course it was definitely raunchier in my head than it was in the movie, and it was safe to say my "creative" juices were flowing. My hand slipped into my boyshorts, and figured since there was the distinct possibility my boyfriend wouldn't be getting me off, I was just going to have to do it myself.

Now, don't take this the wrong way because Eric is pretty much a God in the sack, but there's something about making it a do it yourself project that appealed to me as well. It was just like riding a bike, in the fact that my fingers hadn't forgotten where to go, or how to move. I suddenly remembered the small collection of toys I had in my night stand, and decided it was time to take them off the bench. For a single girl who doesn't sleep around, sexy toys are a must.

I had a few to choose from, but ended up going with the basic, hot pink bullet. I set it on my bed while I pulled off my panties and tossed them across the room. I wouldn't be needing those anymore. I twisted the top of the bullet and smiled when it came to life. The night wasn't totally lost after all.

My eyes closed and I got myself back into that library scene, and in my mind I was imagining all the things Eric's tongue could do to me. When the bullet touched my clit my hips rose up off the bed. Holy Moses, I forgot how good it was to play with my toys. I was writhing on my bed, teasing my clit with the bullet and sliding my fingers (which were considerably smaller than Eric's) inside myself, letting the pressure build and then taking the bullet away to draw it out a little.

My fingers kept going, and try as I might, I couldn't find that spot that Eric always did. When I calmed down a little I started with the bullet again, and the writhing and moaning started up. My mind went crazy with the remembered images of Eric fucking me, and even though I told my hand to move the bullet away again, it didn't. I cried out, my muscles clenching around my fingers as I came.

I dropped the bullet, the vibration too much on my sensitive, swollen clit, but I continued to pump my fingers lazily for a minute before removing them. My eyes were closed, and I was breathing heavy. In my mind, imaginary Eric and me were snuggling after mind bending orgasms. I didn't want to open my eyes and go back to a reality of a cold, empty bed.

All of a sudden a hand was pulling the one between my legs from its hiding place. My eyes opened and Eric was standing over me with that heated look in his eyes.

"Hi," I said sheepishly.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"A little," I said as he lifted my hand to his lips and licked my fingers. "I didn't think you would be here for a while."

"We slowed down, so I got out of there. Just in time for a show too."

"You weren't supposed to see that," I blushed bright red, I'm sure, not that it would be easy to see in the darkness.

"Well I did. I saw a lot of that," he growled, his eyes wide and intense. "The first thing I heard was you moaning. Kind of loudly too... You never moan like that when it's just me. What the hell were you using?"

I smiled lazily and lifted the little pink bullet that was still buzzing against my thigh. "Just this and the fingers you so graciously cleaned off for me."

He picked up the bullet and gave me a what the fuck look. "This? This tiny thing is what made you moan louder than you ever have with me?"

"Are you mad?" My eyes went wide and I sat up.

"No," he pouted, and sat back. "I mean, I don't care that you masturbate, but I care if you have more fun self-pleasuring than you do with me."

"Eric, that is so not even close to being the case," I got on my knees and turned so we were face to face. I took the bullet from him and turned it off. "For the record, I haven't done that since before you and me started seeing each other. I haven't needed to. Tonight I... I was watching a movie, it got me thinking about you and it just snowballed from there. You weren't with me so I took matters into my own hands. I swear, you are better than a toy any day of the week. If I was loud, it's because I was thinking about you."

"Promise?" he asked, still pouting.

"Eric, look at me," I tilted his face up and leaned in to kiss him. "No, your cock can't vibrate, but you can do a whole lot of other things that this," I held up the bullet, "can't do. It can't give me a hug when I have a bad day, make me breakfast in bed, tell me jokes that make me laugh until I cry, or any other million wonderful things that you do. There's no reason for you to be jealous of this thing."

"But it can, and did, please you better than I ever have."

"Eric, an orgasm isn't measured by the noise I make, believe me. Remember that morning in the kitchen before Hell Week started? I didn't make a sound, and I swear, that was the most intense thing I have ever felt in my life. You did that," I climbed into his lap.

"That is true," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed and pissed off I didn't get to see your lingerie."

"Well it didn't turn into a pumpkin, you know. I have it put away for another night," I pulled my tank top off, knowing a little face time with his favorite twins would lift his spirits.

"Well hello there," he said to my boobs.

"You know, they were sorely neglected in all my playtime," I told him.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

"I'm sure they missed you. You're their favorite playmate," I smiled at him.

"Yes I am," he grinned, and then his face was buried in them.

"Eric!" I couldn't restrain the giggles, especially when he let loose an animalistic growl and knocked me backward on my bed. "Oh my God, you're crazy," I couldn't stop laughing.

"You're supposed to be moaning in pleasure," he jokingly chided me, then dove back in.

"Oooooooh Errrric!" I said in an exaggerated way.

"Much better."

"Goofball," I rolled my eyes. It briefly crossed my mind how devastated he would be if I ever faked it. I had with Quinn, and he was so self-involved he didn't notice. Something told me Eric would not only know, but considering dumping me if I did that.

"Now, let's see if I can make you actually moan louder than that little vibrating bullet," he said, his tone shifting to the serious.

"I think you can," I pulled his face to mine and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Only moan it if you feel it," he said.

"You think I would fake it?"

"Not the moaning, just the loudness of it."

"I promise you I will _never_ fake anything. Ever." I kissed him again, and then pulled back and said, "And just so you know, that little spot you always seem to find, I couldn't. So there's another point for you."

"That's because your fingers just aren't big enough, sweetheart," he said with a new wave of confidence as his hand went where mine had been just minutes before.

"Oh God," I breathed into his ear. He found it immediately. "Right there!"

"That's right. Try getting that little pink thing to do that."

* * *

><p><strong>Annnd he's back to being a little more confident. I don't know what it is with him thinking that a sex toy is better than the real thing. Obviously they get the job done, but there is no comparison. Now if Sookie <em>preferred<em> her toys to him, that would be a problem. **


	16. The Night Will Go As Follows

**This chapter is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. Between language and lemons, read on at your own risk if you're in a work environment. You've been warned.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 16: The Night Will Go As Follows<span>

"_And forget everyone who's jaded, 'cause they don't matter and I don't care. No, 'cause they don't matter and I don't care. Brash and hopeful that my luck will not perish tonight. When the overcast tries to kill me, it's your slow motion rain that falls warm on my neck that keeps me alive." –the Spill Canvas_

Valentine's Day take two happened on Saturday. I was slicking on a coat of lip gloss when Sully started barking in the living room. Seconds later I heard the front door open. I stepped back and checked my reflection in the mirror. My dress was red satin with capped sleeves, and the skirt fell to just above my knee to make sure I didn't give way the garters underneath. He'd find out about those when he inevitably put his hand on my thigh.

"Eric, I'm not quite ready yet so don't come back here!" I shouted from the bathroom and then closed the door behind me, knowing he had selective hearing.

"I'm gonna see it all anyway later," he shouted back, but then I heard Sully's squeaky toy tossed so I knew he was listening and staying out in the living room.

I fooled with my hair for a minute, adjusting the curls a little, and then sprayed it with a little hairspray. Not too much, though. I didn't want helmet hair. I went over my mental checklist to make sure I had everything ready to go. We were going to have to come back and pick up the dog, but otherwise I was all set. I slipped on the red shoes that matched my dress perfectly and grabbed my little black cardigan from my closet just in case it was chilly in the restaurant. We had seven o'clock reservations at my favorite Italian restaurant a few towns over, and I was anxious to have a night out with Eric.

I took a deep breath, opened the door and then started walking. I peeked in the hallway to see where he was, and found his was sitting on the couch with Sully at his feet. I cleared my throat loudly to get his attention and then started walking down the hall. Eric looked my way and stood up like his ass was spring loaded.

"Is this okay?" I asked when I got to the end of the hall.

"You look so gorgeous," he said. His eyes were all lit up, and his smile reached them. I took that as a sign that I'd done well.

"Thank you," I curtsied and then stretched up to kiss him. "And just in case I never told you, the sweatervests are sexy."

"Wait until you see me in a bow tie."

"Seriously?" I giggled. I couldn't imagine it, for some reason. At least not with the sweatervest. A tux maybe. That would be yummy.

"I can rock a mean bow tie. Bow ties are cool, so says The Doctor."

"The Doctor?" I lifted an eyebrow. The only doctor that came to mind was Dr. Drew, and I was pretty sure that wasn't who Eric was talking about.

"One day I will get you to watch _Doctor Who_, and you will like it."

"Is that right? I've never even heard of _Doctor Who_," I told him and he looked at me like I had two heads.

"You, are so lame," he sighed dramatically.

"Whatever," I said and then started humming 'Summer Lovin' from Grease as I went to get my coat.

"Why are you humming?" he asked nervously.

"No reason," I said and tried to hide my smile.

He coughed, then clapped his hands. "So, are we all ready to go get our eat on?"

"Dude, I have been dreaming about the baked manicotti for days," I moaned just picturing it in my head, all hot and cheesy. Yum.

"Then baked manicotti you shall have," he said, and gestured for me to walk ahead of him.

I locked up my apartment with Sully very obviously disappointed he wasn't going along with us. We walked out to the car hand in hand, and Eric opened my door for me. Impeccable manners that boy had. He'd left his door unlocked and quickly walked around to his side to get in. Cold leather seats and short skirts don't go together, which wasn't something I had considered when I got dressed.

"Heat please," I was shivering. I hate winter. Why wasn't it summer already?

"Whoops, sorry," he said, and cranked the heat. He loved the cold a bit too much.

"It's fine," I smiled over at him and tried to think of ways to keep myself warm until the heat caught up with me. "So how was work today?"

"Pretty damn good," he said. "I love having Pam back. I get to sit in my office and watch Netflix again."

"You really are a secret slacker, aren't you?" I shook my head and slid a little closer to him on the seat. "I should sneak in and see you sometime."

"You should, but you must realize that the Netflix watching is very important to me."

"Watching porn for ideas?" I snickered.

"I do _not_ watch porn..." he said, then added, "... on my work computer."

"So where _do_ you watch it?"

"On... my home computer."

"What do you watch?" I asked and kind of liked that he squirmed a little.

"Um... do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable with it. I get my porn on tumblr," I giggled and he glanced over at me with surprise on his face. "What?"

"You look at porn too?"

"Sometimes," I shrugged. "Sometimes I look for it, and sometimes it just sort of appears on my dashboard."

"Well... I like to watch videos sometimes, when I'm bored."

"Interesting. I prefer pictures, myself," I said and sort of curled my legs under me a little, hoping that would keep them a little warmer.

"I like pictures," he said. "And when it comes to videos, I just want you to know that I don't like the porn star stuff."

"The 'porn star stuff?' What does that mean?"

"The fake stuff. The girls who moan and you don't know if it's real or not. The fake boobs, and the unrealistic bodies. I like the amateur stuff."

"Interesting. I haven't watched enough porn on video to really have much of an opinion on what I prefer..." I paused for a minute, wondering if it would be a bad idea to tell him that Quinn tried to get me to do a home video with him.

"We should watch some together sometime," he said, nudging me with his elbow and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Sometimes when I watch the amateur stuff, I wonder if I would ever make a video of myself. I would never put it online, of course, but I just kind of wonder what it looks like."

"I wouldn't know. I've never done that," I decided to laugh it off and tell him about Quinn. "Quinn tried to talk me into it once. He was pretty disappointed when I shot that idea down."

Eric burst into laughter. "That idiot thought you'd agree to that? You are way too classy to tape yourself, especially with someone like Quinn."

"Yeah, well, his argument was that he would overlook my 'fat ass' if I let him tape us fucking," I said with a sigh. "We broke up two days later."

His body immediately stiffened, and he stopped laughing as his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I really wish I could find him and kick his ass. You do not have a fat ass. He... has a fat head."

I kissed Eric's cheek. "If we ever run into Quinn, I promise not to stop you from kicking his ass. I really don't know what I ever saw in him, but let's talk about something else now."

"How about the kickass alfredo I'm going to eat. Oh, and they have the best mussels there."

"Ewwww I don't do seafood, homes. That's all you," I nearly gagged just thinking about it.

"I know, but the sauce the mussels are in tastes great when you dip the breadsticks in it."

"Ugh," I shook my head. "No thank you."

"It doesn't taste fishy."

"Doesn't matter. I'll stick to my fresh bread and butter, thank you."

"Will you at least try one bite?"

"I doubt it."

"That makes me very sad."

"It wasn't an outright no. Besides, I'm sure if I got something with onions on it you would pass it up," I pointed out. Dude hated onions like whoa.

"But I hate onions. You don't know if you hate a sauce."

"Which is why I didn't say no."

"Good, cause you'll be trying it."

"Says you," I folded my arms over my chest in a petulant fashion.

"If you don't, it'll be okay. I'll just enjoy more for myself."

Honestly, if he really, _really_ wanted me to try it, I would. If I hated it I could always spit it out. We arrived at the restaurant a short time later, and remarkably, our table was actually ready. Usually there was at least a ten minute wait, even if you had a reservation. We were shown to a booth toward the back that was horseshoe shaped like all the other booths so they were fairly private. We sat next to each other instead of on opposite sides, and it was obvious we weren't the only couple celebrating Valentine's Day belatedly.

"I want to bottle the air here and bring it home," I inhaled the smell of fresh bread and delicious food.

"You can't beat authentic Italian, can you?" Eric said, taking a deep breath as well. "Do you want to get wine?"

"Mmm... I think I'll pass on the wine. It gives me a headache and I don't want to spend tomorrow climbing out from under my hangover."

"That would not be good. I'd rather you be climbing out from under me."

I snorted and said, "That was a given, Eric."

"Of course it was."

We looked over the menu and I was scandalized to find that they had removed the manicotti I had been dreaming about for the last couple of days. It had been a while since I had been to the restaurant, so choosing an alternate dinner took me a while. In the meantime we ordered drinks and Eric got his breadsticks and whatever it was in those shells. I didn't even want to look in the bowl.

"These are so delicious," he groaned when he took a bite. "Have a breadstick, sweetheart."

"Thanks," I took one from him and bit into it. Yep, it was delicious.

"Good?" he asked.

"Very," I smiled and took another bite.

"Want to dip one in the sauce?"

I knew he wasn't going to give up on this issue, so I sucked it up and said, "I'll give it a chance."

"Good girl."

I didn't go whole hog with the sauce like Eric did, but I got a little bit on my breadstick. He watched closely as I took another bite, and waited patiently for my reaction. It wasn't awful, but I didn't think it really did anything either. I shrugged and said, "Meh. It's okay."

He shrugged back and said, "At least you tried it."

The waiter came back a short time later to take our dinner order, and by then I had decided on my replacement for the missing manicotti. Eric's arm suddenly slid around my shoulders and I looked over at his face. His jaw was tense, although I didn't know why. That is until I cheated a glance at the waiter, whose eyes were not so subtly scanning my cleavage. I put my hand on Eric's thigh, knowing no one else was going to see it. With our dinner order placed, the waiter disappeared from our table.

"Don't let it bother you, Eric," I whispered in his ear and moved my hand up a little.

"I won't. I have what he wants, and never will get."

"Damn skippy," I rested my head on his shoulder, and started to move my hand a little.

"Careful," he warned.

"Anytime you want me to move my hand away, just let me know," I moved it up a little higher.

"How about I just retaliate?" he asked, and his hand found a home on my thigh.

I grinned and waited for him to find one of his surprises under my skirt. I knew he did when I felt a distinct twitch in his pants.

"Are you wearing garters?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yes sir," I kept my face forward.

"You are fucking awesome."

"You asked for it. I've never worn these before," I admitted quietly and squirmed a little when his hand moved to the inside of my thigh.

"Do you love them? I'll bet you look sexy as fuck in them."

"You'll have to be the judge. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet."

"You'll love them when you see how my cock reacts."

"I can feel it," I said and squeezed a little.

"Do not make me come, Sookie," he ordered.

"That sounds like a challenge," I looked into his eyes.

"More like a warning. I really don't want to clean up a mess in my pants before dessert."

"I think it's only fair if I have to walk around with wet panties all night," I pointed out, and kept moving my hand.

"But your wet panties don't show a big stain."

"True," I said and then put my hand back above the table. "You win."

He groaned quietly, and then his hand moved further up my thigh. I'm sure he wasn't expecting it when my left hand reached over and guided his hand where I wanted it. I heard him suck in a breath and I turned my head so he would feel my breath on his neck. Just to raise the stakes a little, I lifted my right leg and rested it on his knee beside me.

"That better?" I asked him.

"You're trying to kill me."

"Hardly," I gasped quietly when his fingers traced the edge of my panties.

"These feel very pretty," he said. "And rather wet."

"Dirty thoughts," I said as he rubbed against the right spot and I tried not to move too much.

"Oh yeah? Like about how I'm going to fuck you in your garters later?"

"More like dropping my fork on purpose and disappearing under the table for a few minutes."

"You really want to?"

"I'm thinking about it," I smiled at him. "Would you object if I did?"

"Hell no."

"I'll take that under advisement," I said and couldn't help rocking my hips a little against his fingers. "That feels really good," I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

"Do you think I should make you come when the waiter brings our food?" he asked.

My heart skipped a beat, although I shouldn't have been surprised by what he was suggesting. At the same time, I was surprised he wanted to show that off to someone else. No way would I be able to keep my face normal, and he knew that.

"I may not last that long," I warned him when his fingers moved under my panties.

"Then perhaps I should try to set a new record."

"Mmmm..." was all I got out. I was right there on the edge when the waiter arrived with our food, but Eric didn't stop there.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waiter asked after setting down our plates.

"We're good," I managed to get out.

"Yes, we're good, thank you," Eric said, and the waiter took off.

"Eric," I whimpered and squirmed in my seat. He needed to either finish me off, or move his hand. I didn't want cold lasagna.

"Yes?" he asked, but then went for the kill.

I turned my head and hid my face in his shoulder, my nails digging into his thigh. Keeping quiet was a challenge, and I failed a little at it, but I managed to keep it together fairly well. When I looked up at him, he was smiling smugly while he twirled his pasta.

"Thank you," I whispered with relief.

"You don't have to thank me," he grinned.

"Yes I do," I lowered my leg and expected Eric to retract his hand, but he didn't. I cleared my throat and looked over at him. "Do you plan on keeping your hand there all night?"

"Nope," he said, and finally pulled it away, then sucked his fingers clean. "You're delicious."

I know I blushed and then asked, "How's your pasta?"

"I can't decide if I like it, or you better."

"I'm pretty sure I could tip the scales if I wanted to," I lifted my fork and cut into my lasagna, then carefully blew on it before taking a bite. Of course I moaned, and of course, Eric almost dropped his fork.

"You're evil."

"Why am I evil?" I asked and took another bite of my pasta. Mmm... cheese.

"No reason. How's your lasagna?"

"Amazing. Want a bite?" I offered.

"Yes please," he said.

I cut a piece and carefully scooped it up so it wouldn't end up in his lap, and then held it out for him to try. "Careful, it's really hot in the middle," I warned.

He blew on it for a couple of seconds, and then opened his mouth to accept the bite. "Oh god, that's good."

I nodded and cut myself another bite. "Best part? No chunks in their marinara sauce. I hate that," I said and closed my lips around my fork.

"Me too," he agreed.

Since I ordered the half portion of lasagna in anticipation of getting dessert, I actually managed to finish eating before Eric did. He had managed to calm himself down a little bit, but he was still semi-hard when I put my hand back in his lap. He cleared his throat and coughed a little bit before turning to look at me.

"Sookie, what are you doing?" He asked in a husky tone.

"Just keep eating," I said and started to stroke him over his pants.

"Sookie-"

"Just trust me, Eric," I looked into his eyes.

"I trust you, sweetheart," he smiled at me.

I leaned in and kissed him softly and then knocked my fork off the table. I looked around to make sure no one was looking. The walls of the banquettes were pretty high, so it was entirely possible someone might think Eric was eating alone unless they were looking at our booth head on.

I smiled at him and the started to slouch down until I disappeared under the table. To help me out, Eric unzipped his pants for me. Such a good boyfriend. I couldn't believe what I was about to do, but I was determined to do it. I reached into his pants and pulled his cock out.

Eric grunted above the table, but tried not to move. Now we would see how good _his_ poker face really was. Since I knew my time was limited I opened my mouth and simply took his cock as far down my throat as I could. Eric's hand slammed against the seat, and lucky for him I didn't bite him by accident.

I had to work quick so I hollowed my cheeks, swirled my tongue around the head of his cock as my head bobbed up and down. I slowed down for a few seconds and used my hand to stroke his shaft, and concentrated on using my mouth on just the head. I heard familiar sounds coming from above me, and one of his hands touched my face. I couldn't see him when I looked up, but in my mind he was fighting for control of himself.

When I felt his cock swell a little more I resumed the bobbing of my head and there was no warning when he came, but I didn't mind. I had done it, and that was all that mattered. It was a personal victory for several reasons. I made sure he was cleaned up before tucking his cock back in his pants, and peeking up at him.

His head was thrown back so I had to whisper shout his name to get his attention. "Eric!" I said and he looked down with a goofy grin on his face. "Is the coast clear?"

Eric looked around and then nodded. I picked up my fork and then climbed up from under the table. No sooner was I sitting beside him again than he grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled my mouth to his to kiss me. The kiss went on until the waiter cleared his throat. Eric broke the kiss and I kept my face turned toward the wall to avoid looking at the waiter.

"Can I bring you some dessert?" The waiter asked.

"Sweetheart?" Eric deferred to me.

"Tiramisu," I whispered so only he could hear it and he relayed the request to the waiter.

The second the waiter was gone, Eric's lips were back on mine. I was seriously considering skipping dessert when I heard a voice I never wanted to hear again. I broke the kiss, looked to my left and cringed.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked.

"Quinn is here," I said and Eric looked around me in time to see that not only was Quinn there but he had a date.

"_Isabel_?" Eric was as shocked as I was.

How in the fuck did that happen?

"Quinn, is dating Isabel," Eric said as though he couldn't believe it.

"We don't know that they're dating..." I trailed off, but the skeptical look on Eric's face made me concede. "Okay, fine, they're dating. How the hell do you think _that_ happened?"

"I don't know. She was just emailing me a few weeks ago saying she loved me."

"Well, if she's slept with Quinn I can see why she'd want you back. She definitely traded down," I snickered.

"Do you not remember when I told you about how vanilla she is? She doesn't want good sex."

"No wonder you dumped her," I shook my head. "Well, if we're lucky they won't notice us sitting here and we can just enjoy our dessert in peace."

He looked away quickly and said, "Too late, we were just spotted."

"Okay, so Jedi mind trick him into going away," I suggested. Quinn was just dumb enough to fall for it.

"That's... not how that works," he said.

I rolled my eyes and said, "That's lame. Then try some of that Harry Potter wizard shit and make him forget."

"You understand that it's not real, right?"

"I'm going to remind you of that the next time I tease you about the girl being with the blond guy," I snickered and watched his eyes narrow at me.

"That is not- Hey, Quinn, Isabel," he said, and I looked up to see that they'd made their way to our table.

"Eric and Gus... you two look cozy together," Quinn looked back and forth between us.

"Gus?" Isabel asked Quinn, and my cheeks flushed red.

Eric's head turned as well, forcing me to explain, "It was one of Quinn's many pet names for me."

"Yeah, after that fat mouse in Cinderella," Quinn said with a proud grin on his face.

"Excuse me?" Eric asked, glowering at Quinn while Isabel simply snickered at his side.

"You gotta admit, man, she's got a lot of junk in that trunk," Quinn winked at me. _Winked at me_.

"Quinn, before you go much farther, you should know that Eric and I are seeing each other now," I outed us, not giving a single fuck what their reactions were. Isabel needed to know it too so she'd stop sending those lame ass emails to _my_ boyfriend.

"Oh, taking my sloppy seconds, huh?" Quinn looked over at Eric with amusement.

I didn't know if I should slam my head against the table or get the hell out of Eric's way. I knew he had just about reached his limit where Quinn was concerned. I decided it was in my best interests to stay quiet.

"First of all, don't talk about Sookie like she's not sitting right in front of you. Secondly, she does have 'junk' in her trunk, and it's fucking hot. And finally, take a look to your left and say hello to _my_ sloppy seconds."

I sat there completely stunned and waited to see what Isabel's reaction was going to be. If I was in her shoes... well, I was glad I wasn't.

"Oh get over me already, Eric," Isabel huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Done and done," I whispered under my breath just loud enough for Eric to hear.

"Don't worry, pretty boy, she's got all the man she needs right here," Quinn puffed out his chest. Was he kidding?

"Okay, it was nice to see you two and all, but I think it's time for you to head on back to your own table," I suggested before punches got thrown. Eric was tensed up next me and I was sure if Quinn made one more comment, he was going to get his ass handed to him.

"Good luck with him, Sookie," Isabel said. "Don't get too serious, he can't commit to anything."

"I'll take my chances," I said, seeing no reason to rub her nose in it that already he was more committed to me than he would ever be to her.

"Goodbye, Isabel, Mr. Clean," Eric said with a smug smirk and wave.

I elbowed Eric even though I wanted to laugh at what he said. Quinn tried to look intimidating. Apparently he wasn't interested in backing off just yet. "Enjoy your slut. She'll get bored with you sooner than you know," Quinn said, and that was the last straw.

Eric slid out of the booth with the grace and agility of an animal about to attack, and quickly popped Quinn in the eye.

"Fuck!" Quinn shouted, covered his eye and started crying.

"That was rude," he said calmly.

"Eric, enough," I pleaded with my eyes for him to sit down.

The waiter arrived then with our dessert, looking curiously at Quinn who was clutching his face. The other customers nearby were watching the drama as well.

"Is there a problem here?" The waiter asked and set down the plate with our tiramisu on it.

"They're leaving now," I stared at Isabel, hoping she would take the hint and just pull Quinn away from the table before things escalated to our dates taking it out to the parking lot to have it out.

"You better watch your ass, pretty boy," Quinn muttered as Isabel started tugging on his stupid bicep to get him back to their table.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, small dick," Eric called after him, a bit too loudly.

I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. Quinn started to double back, but Isabel pulled him toward their table. "He's not worth it, Quinn," I heard Isabel say.

"Is it wrong that I wish he'd come over here so you could knock him out?" I whispered to Eric and put my hand on his thigh. Who cares that I'd blown him just ten minutes before.

"Nope, not wrong at all. I hate to do this, Sook, but I think we need to get this dessert to go," he said, looking at me with a fire in his eyes that only meant one thing.

I nodded, completely agreeing with him. He signaled the waiter, had the dessert bagged and paid the bill. I didn't even bother arguing with him about paying, since we were in a rush to get the hell out of the restaurant at that point. On the way past Quinn and Isabel's table, she was tending to Quinn's already bruised eye, and I heard Eric snicker next to me.

I don't know what it was about watching Eric punch Quinn, but it was fucking hot. I knew my boy had a jealous side to him, and I also knew he was protective, but I didn't really think he would clean Quinn's clock in the middle of the restaurant. I think if it had been anyone else who had done that I would have been pissed off. My feminist side wanted to protest but I told that bitch to shut her gob.

I didn't _need_ Eric to defend my honor and he knew it. I had told him before that it wouldn't be worth it, but I was wrong. I didn't feel sympathy for Quinn, who was still sniveling in his booth. Even Isabel seemed a little turned on by what Eric had done, but she had her chance. Eric was mine now.

I pulled him out of the restaurant and toward his car. We got around the side of the building and he pulled me to him. There was a primal look in his eyes and the next thing I knew his lips were on mine. He kissed me roughly and we stumbled over to his car without breaking the kiss.

Eric fiddled with his car keys and broke the kiss so he could unlock the door. My hand acted on its own and grabbed his cock. He growled and as soon as the door was open, he was pushing me into the car. Rather than going around to the other side he climbed in with me.

"Back seat. Now," he ordered.

I climbed over to the back seat and Eric followed. He remained upright and since it was too cold to take our clothes off and the car wasn't running, we were going to have to be quick. I went after the zipper on his pants while he moved my panties aside and checked to see how ready I was. Between my earlier orgasm and the thoughts in my head, I was soaking wet.

His cock sprang free and I only pumped him twice before he pulled me flush against him and kissed me with bruising strength. I lined his cock up with my entrance and he thrust up. I cried out when he entered me. His hands grabbed my ass and held me in place while he fucked me fast and hard, his strokes obviously designed to mark me and remind me I was his. It felt fucking amazing. The windows fogged quickly, and it didn't take long for the pressure to build.

Eric grabbed the hair at the back of my head and pulled me back a little to look into my eyes, "Tell me you're mine, Sookie."

"You're mine," I sassed him. He growled and slapped my ass with his other hand.

"Minx," he stared at me with lust in his eyes. "Tell me."

"I'm yours, sir," I gasped, knowing I was going to lose it at any second. "I'm yours!"

"That's my girl," he brought my mouth to his and moved his hand to rub my clit.

"Fuck! Eric, oh my God! Fuck me! Harder!" I cried out and my core started to clench violently. I screamed through my orgasm, and it would be an honest mistake for anyone passing the car to think I was in pain, but I wasn't.

"Fuck, Sookie!" He shouted and then came hard inside me.

I fell against him, unable to move at first. I was sweating and shaking, but it didn't take long for the cold to set in. Eric helped me climb off of him, and he fixed my panties. He kissed me sweetly and said, "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Oh you're welcome," I giggled and then let him climb into the front seat first.

I followed and the brush of my clit on the top of the seat back made me moan. I fell into the front seat and fixed my skirt. Eric started the car and as soon as I was situated beside him, he put the car in gear and headed for home.

"How's your hand, killer?" I picked up his punching hand and kissed the back of it where his knuckles were already a little swollen.

"That hurt like a motherfucker," he laughed. "I've never defended anyone's honor before."

"Well you did a fabulous job," I kissed his hand again.

"Thank you," he smiled.

"Usually I'm not an advocate for something like that but you... Jesus, that was sexy," I told him. "Just promise me you won't make a habit of it."

"I won't as long as your former boyfriends don't pop up calling you names."

"Yeah, about that Gus thing..." I sighed and turned a little on the seat. "I intentionally blocked that from my memory. He called me that behind my back, mostly. I found out about it from Tara when he said it during poker night one time."

"He's such a dick, Sookie. You're not fat."

"I know that. I think he just thought if he put me down often enough that I would somehow start to think he was right and I'd stay with him, like the typical abuser. I kinda feel bad for Isabel, if I'm being honest. I mean, I don't want her trying to get her hooks into you, but she doesn't deserve Quinn, either."

"Nobody deserves Quinn," he said. "And I'm just glad you got out of that, and got me instead."

"Oh, I think he might do some good for animal research," I snickered.

"That is true."

I giggled and said, "I wonder how long it'll be before you get another email from Isabel."

He snorted. "Not long probably. Though I didn't reply to the other so maybe she'll give up."

"I don't know, sweetie, I'm pretty sure she wants to have your babies," I teased him.

"Then it's a good thing I don't want her to have them."

"Yes it is," I rested my head on his shoulder again.

We made a quick stop at my house so I could get my bags. Eric took Sully for a quick walk and then we drove the last five minutes over to his place. When we pulled into the garage he parked the car and then turned in his seat to face me.

"Will you stay here until I come get you?" he asked.

"Sure," I smiled at him. He had a surprise. I was excited already. Unless it was a rattlesnake or a tank full of spiders, I was pretty sure I was going to love it.

"Great! I'll be right back," he said, gave me a quick kiss, then went inside.

"What do you think he's doing in there, Sull?" I looked over into the back seat. Sully was curled up and stared back at me with a blank expression. "You're no help."

Eric didn't make me wait for too long, thank God. The car cooled quickly in the frosty weather. His garage wasn't heated, unfortunately, so the cold set in pretty fast. I rubbed my hands over my legs to try and keep them warm. Maybe five minutes passed before Eric came back to the garage. He walked over to the passenger's side of the car and opened my door for me.

"All set?" I asked and took the hand he offered me as I stood up. Sully squeeze out of the back seat and headed straight for the house.

"Yes, and I think you're going to be pleased."

"Oh really?" I reached into the car and grabbed my bags. He wasn't the only one with surprises planned.

"Yup, so be pleased, please," he joked.

"Should I close my eyes?" I asked as he closed the car door.

"You don't have to."

"Okay," I took his hand and followed him into the house.

Eric took my bags from me and set them near the foot of the stairs. I had a few things in there I thought I might need soon, but I could go back for them. Eric led me to the living room and I'll admit I was so busy watching his ass as he walked that I wasn't really paying attention. I could, however, smell fire. That was a good start. He stopped walking and I nearly slammed into him. At the last second I side stepped, and looked into the living room.

"Eric," I gasped, and stared at all the flickering candles that were set out all over the room, in addition to the fire going in the fireplace. He had a blanket and a bunch of pillows spread out on the floor in front of the fireplace. It was perfect. "Eric, this is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," he grinned.

I kicked off my shoes since they were starting to pinch my feet and I didn't really need them anymore anyway. "So what now?" I smiled up at him some more. He was scoring serious points with me.

"We put Sully in another room so he doesn't lick my ass or something, and then we get naked, and then, I'm going to fuck you slow and sweet."

"You didn't get enough in the car?" I teased.

"That was a different kind of sex, and it's our Valentine's. You deserve something more romantic. And frankly, so do I. You're kinda rough sometimes," he smiled.

I scoffed and said, "I'm pretty sure that goes both ways, mister. Besides, I never hear you complaining about not being able to go again."

"That's because there's never a time when I'm not ready to fuck you."

"Believe me, I've noticed," I said and went over to the stairs to grab one of my bags.

"You need something in there?" he asked.

"I brought a couple of surprises of my own," I smirked at him and then headed over to the blanket by the fireplace. Of course Sully came trotting over to see what I had in the bag. "That's not for you, Sully."

"What kind of surprises?"

"You'll see," I reached into the bag and pulled out a wrapped box. "This is for you," I held it up for him.

"You got me a present? I only got you the flowers and cinnamon rolls," he said, and took a seat on the couch to open it.

"It's something small, but I saw it and thought of you," I shifted so I was sitting on my knees. The fire felt good behind me.

He unwrapped it with a smile on his face, and then he saw what it was. "Who in the hell thought it would be a good idea to combine Harry Potter and Snuggies?"

My smile fell and I said, "I don't know." He seemed pissed, which was the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. I didn't expect him to love it, but I at least thought he would laugh about it.

"You do not combine something as amazing as Harry Potter with something as stupid as a Snuggie," he ranted, but then he pulled it out of the box and snickered, which turned to full on laughter.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"This is kind of awesome," he laughed. "And I want to make you suffer by forcing you to see me wearing it."

I grinned and said, "Only if you're naked under it."

"Deal," he said, and set it aside so he could kiss me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I crawled a little closer to meet his lips. "So are you staying up there all night?"

"Nope," he said, and removed his blazer before crawling down on the floor with me.

"Good, because I have more treats in my bag of goodies," I scooted back and almost sat on Sully. "Sull, take a hike."

"Want me to put him in the laundry room?" Eric asked.

"Depends on if you want your ass licked," I snickered.

"I'll just go put him in the laundry room," he said.

As soon as he left the living room with Sully following behind him, I popped up and unzipped my dress. I heard Eric have a little tiff with Sully, who obviously didn't want to be left out of the fun in the living room. I managed to get my dress off before Eric got back, but I was still standing when he appeared in the archway.

"Surprise?" I said weakly.

"Jesus," he said, his jaw dropping. "You look... I can't believe you're mine."

I breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm glad you like it."

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"There's always that possibility," I shrugged and fidgeted a little. "And I'm not really used to dressing up like this, so I was worried it just wouldn't look right on me."

"You look so fucking sexy, Sookie," he said, closing the space between us.

"Thank you," I smiled. "So do you want to see what else I have my little bag of tricks?"

"Yes, yes I do."

I knelt down on the blanket and grabbed the bag. "Okay, so I brought this stuff, but we don't have to use any of it if you don't want to, but..." I reached into the bag and produced the massage oil and dirty dice I'd picked up when I went to Studio 21.

"Oooh, that massage oil will come in handy for some romance."

"Yes sir," I smiled and then reached into the bag. "There's one more thing," I bit my lip.

"Lay it on me," he said.

I took a deep breath and then grabbed the little kit I'd picked up the day before. "It's a mini bondage kit. It's got cuffs, a feather tickler and a blindfold in it," I handed the kit over to him.

"You are the best girlfriend ever," he smiled. "I think we'll only be using the blindfold tonight, but I can't wait to get to the other stuff. Maybe the feather tickler tonight too."

"We can do whatever you want. I figured you would like this better than flowers or candy," I set my bag aside.

"I do, but really all I needed was you in the buff. That will always be good enough."

"You'll be getting that, too." I sat back on my feet.

"Can I fully admire your lingerie now?"

"Absolutely," I smiled at him. "Just don't rip it."

"But ripping it is so fun."

"But then you'll never see it again," I pointed out.

"This is true. Though I could just buy you new lingerie."

"True," I said and then blushed a little with the thought that came into my mind. No way was I going to say it out loud. "So, massage oils, huh?" I reached for the bottle.

"Would you like an erotic massage?" he asked.

"Sure," I smiled, stretched out and handed over the bottle to him.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, we really cut the chapter there. You can use your imaginations as to what happened after that. So, who ever would have thought that Quinn and Isabel would end up together, huh? We thought that would be an interesting little twist to throw in. And that Gus thing... yeah when I sent Scribe a text to tell her about that she was appalled, but jumped all over it. Just another layer to add to Quinn's douchebaggery. All in all, though, I think this was a pretty successful Valentine's Day for these two. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	17. Pictures of You

Chapter 17: Pictures of You

"_Remembering you falling into my arms crying for the death of your heart. You were stone white, so delicate, lost in the cold. You were always so lost in the dark." –the Cure_

In order to get the following Friday night off, Eric agreed to go into work early. They were starting to get everything ready for their accountants anyway to do their taxes, which reminded me I needed to do the same. Eric kissed me goodbye on his way out the door, and left me to working in his kitchen. It was a bit of a disaster in there, but I promised to have it all cleaned up before he got back.

The alternative was for me to go home and work there, and I knew Eric liked the idea of me being there waiting for him when he got home than he did having a clean kitchen. Besides, it was just papers that needed to be stapled. I had spent the morning putting together packets that needed to go out to the general managers for the stores in Maryland, since the human resources laws regarding benefits had changed there. It was a bit of a waste, in my opinion, since we were supposed to be a green company, but whatever.

I know it sounds silly, but there was a part of me that was still waiting for him to acknowledge, in any capacity, the fact that he'd said, "I love you," in his sleep. So far, that hadn't happened. I told myself to forget about it, but I just couldn't seem to do it. Once the words were out, there was no taking them back whether he meant to say it or not. Even if he hadn't meant to, I refused to believe those were random words he chose.

Those were three little words Eric went out of his way to avoid saying. He had avoided serious relationships for a reason. It still baffled me sometimes as to how the switch got flipped so fast, but I figured it wasn't worth it to ask too many questions. In the end it didn't really matter. I was happy with him and he was happy with me. End of story.

So I sat at the kitchen table, answering emails and stapling packets together. I took my Blackberry upstairs with me and left it on Eric's crisply made bed while I showered. I was drying off a short while later when the phone started to ring. It was a call I had been waiting for from the manager of the new store in Virginia. I grabbed up the phone and answered it quickly before the call went to voicemail.

"Hey, Kendra, I'm glad you called back," I smiled into the phone after she said her hellos. "So, do you have those numbers for me?"

"Yes ma'am. Got a pen handy? There's about a dozen of them," she told me.

Shit. Definitely didn't have a pen, but Eric's office was just down the hall. "Gimme a second and I will. I'm not in the office today," I explained.

"No problem. Take your time," she said sweetly.

I hauled ass down the hall to Eric's office. I grabbed the first pen I found on the desktop, and tried scribbling with it on the blotter, but the pen appeared to be dead. I tossed it in the trash, and went to the center drawer of the desk, assuming that was where he would be keeping spare pens. I pulled the drawer open and gasped at what I found.

There were pens, but my attention was immediately drawn to the bundle rubber banded in the center of the drawer. It was pictures of Eric and Isabel together on top of a stack of paper and a few cards. I nearly dropped the phone.

"You alright, doll?" Kendra asked when she heard me gasp.

"Oh, paper cut," I lied, figuring she'd never know the difference, and I wasn't about to go crying to her about what I'd just found.

"Oh, that sucks," she said sympathetically.

"Yeah," I agreed numbly.

I knew I should just ignore the bundle that was sitting there. Eric probably had a good reason for having kept those things, but at the moment I couldn't think about it. I needed to get a pen and finish my call. I found a pen that worked and poised my hand over a notepad to take down the numbers I needed from Kendra.

"Ready when you are," I said into the phone, and then began to write as she read off her numbers to me. "Thanks, Kendra," I said when she was finished.

"No trouble at all. You have a nice weekend now, Sookie," she said a little too cheerfully for my tastes at the moment.

I wished her the same, and then hung up. I sat back in the cushy executive's chair and debated over what to do. Should I look at what was there, or should I leave it alone? The picture on top of the pile was from Eric's last birthday party at the bar. Isabel had made a big stink over Eric's birthday, and had been particularly pissed off when she found out that he was ditching her _on his birthday_ to go mini golfing with me instead. I had told him we didn't have to do it, but Eric had insisted.

It was a silly tradition that started because I was too young to go drinking with him when we first met. Mini golfing was a fun enough outdoor activity we could both do, and we were just competitive enough that we could make little bets that made things interesting. More than anything, Eric and I just liked hanging out together. Isabel had tried to get herself invited along, but Eric had wisely told her she wasn't welcome.

In looking back on it, I probably would have been just as pissed off if I was in Isabel's shoes. Then again, I felt like I had seniority over her. Eric and I had been friends for the better part of a decade long before he even met her. On top of that, I wasn't constantly critiquing him, or evaluating his performance. I wasn't waiting for him to put a ring on my finger, or invite me to move into his house, or wondering what he wanted to name our children. Simply put, I wasn't as high maintenance as Isabel, and if I ever became that way, I hoped Eric would dump me because of it.

That said, what the fuck was he doing with a bunch of emails, cards, notes and pictures that had something to do with her? I couldn't stop myself from removing the rubber bands, and as soon as I saw the next picture, I wished I hadn't done it. They were kissing on a beach, but I didn't know what beach it was. He looked happy, however, and I could see that Isabel was smiling too. I set the pictures aside, and debated whether or not I would be crossing a line if I read the emails.

She had been emailing him up until about a month ago. Had she emailed him since the run-in at Leona's? I blew out a breath and told myself I was being ridiculous. Eric didn't cheat, for starters, and I was pretty sure if he was seeing Isabel, or any other woman, I would know it. But then the cheating wasn't really what was getting to me.

What if he wasn't over her?

I would be lying if I said I didn't have things packed away in my closet that were from ex-boyfriends, but they were out of sight, and I rarely ever gave them much thought. This stuff, however, was easily accessible in his desk drawer. How often was he in here looking at this stuff? He said he didn't want Isabel back, but I found myself wondering if maybe that wasn't true.

I decided not to read the emails. I would be crossing a line that there would be no coming back from, and quite frankly, I didn't want to know the kinds of things he said to her. I didn't want to know if he said the same kind of sweet things to her that he said to me now. If I read the word "sweetheart" anywhere in any of those emails I was going to throw up. Some things I was just better off not knowing.

I dropped everything on the desk and felt my stomach flip-flop. I felt a little lightheaded, and for the first time it really hit me how devastated I would be if Eric and I broke up. Not only would I lose my boyfriend, but one of my best friends. If we broke up because of another woman, I don't know if I could ever forgive him for that. If it didn't work out, I could get over that. Some people were better off just staying friends.

But cheating? Cheating was something I couldn't forgive.

I left everything on the desk where I dropped it and went down the hall to the bedroom to get dressed. I moved around for the rest of the afternoon in a bit of a daze. I couldn't focus well on my work, and every time I closed my eyes I saw that picture of Eric and Isabel on the beach together. I had seen them kiss in real life, but it was different seeing it on film. It was a moment preserved for the rest of time and…

I shook myself from the fog I was in and started to clean up my mess in the kitchen. By five o'clock I had everything back the way it belonged, and I had my bags packed to go home. I was going to confront Eric with what I found. Trying to pretend like I was fine wouldn't do me any good—Eric knew me better than that. He would call bullshit immediately, and he would have a right to be mad at me for lying.

As much as I didn't want to, I went back upstairs and grabbed the things I had found. I brought them down with me and set it on the coffee table. Then all I could do was sit on the couch and stew while I waited for Eric to get back. He sent a text shortly after five to ask where I wanted to go for dinner, but I didn't answer. I wasn't making any plans with him until I knew what the deal was with Isabel.

It was about 5:30 when the garage door went up. Sully headed for the laundry room to greet Eric when he came in a few seconds later. I braced myself and hoped for the best.

"Sookie?" he called, and shut the door behind him. "Hey Sull."

I stayed quiet. I knew he would come find me when he was done playing with the dog. I'd been on the verge of tears for the last six hours, and it took everything I had not to let them fall. Although, come to think of it, I probably should have let myself have at it before Eric got home so I wouldn't feel bad for crying.

"Sook?" he called again as he came around the corner. "Oh, there you are, sweetheart. Did you get my text?"

I couldn't look at him just yet, but I nodded and said, "Yeah, I got it."

"What's wrong?"

I pointed to the coffee table and said, "I found that stuff today by accident when I was looking for a pen in your desk. It was kind of hard to miss since it was front and center in the middle drawer. I wasn't snooping."

"What is that?" he asked, and sat down next to me to look. He picked up the bundle, which had the picture of him and Isabel kissing on top, and shuddered. "Oh God that's scary. I forgot I even had this."

"It was in your middle desk drawer, Eric, not buried in the back under a pile of crap you would never look at. Every time you open that drawer it's staring right up at you. Don't tell me you didn't know it was there," I said angrily.

"Sookie, I _never_ use my home office. I probably haven't gotten into my desk in three months."

I pulled my knees to my chest and closed my eyes because if I kept them open anymore I was going to look at him and I was I going to start crying. Turns out even with my eyes closed, that crying thing was destined to happen. A tear slid down my cheek as I asked "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"Hey," he said softly, and wrapped his arms around me. "Are you serious? I hardly had feelings for her when I was with her. As far as I'm concerned, she and Quinn can ride off into the sunset together."

"Then why are you keeping this stuff if she didn't mean anything to you? It doesn't make any sense," I pushed away from him. I didn't want him touching me at the moment.

He looked hurt, but he still answered me. "I didn't actually save any of that stuff on purpose. Isabel did it. She used to tell me that we were in a relationship, so we had to keep things to 'remind us of our love for one another.' I just let her do it because it kept her happy. She'd print off emails, make me take pictures with her, then print those off and try to get me to keep them framed in my office. I literally forgot that stuff existed. I'll throw it in the fire right now if it will make you stop crying."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Why did I turn into mentally unstable girl around him? Jesus Christ. It was a miracle he didn't run screaming from me sometimes.

"I didn't read the emails or the cards. I got to that picture there on top and that was enough for me," I confessed and wiped my cheeks. "I want you to do whatever you want with that stuff, Eric. It's not up to me whether or not you keep it."

If he was smart, he'd get up immediately and throw that shit in the fire without blinking an eye, but I was leaving that up to him.

"Alright," he said. I watched him as he stood, walked over to the fire, and chucked the bundle of memories into it without a second thought. "That's how I feel about that, so can I hug you now?"

Annnnd because I was temporarily insane, apparently, I nodded and then really started sobbing. It was because I was relieved, but of course it was troubling to Eric. He sat down on the couch and pulled me against him. God, I was a mess.

"I promise you that I am in this a thousand percent," he said gently, rubbing my back and rocking me from side to side. "Just promise me you'll always be up front about this stuff with me."

I sniffled some more and wiped my face on the sleeves of my sweatshirt before I looked up at him. "I found that stuff this morning, Eric. I haven't been sitting on it for days," I sighed and tried to catch my breath a little. "And I hate feeling like this. I thought about reading some of that stuff, but I just couldn't handle it if... I didn't want to know that much about your relationship with her."

"Those emails weren't anything special, I promise. I hated emailing her because she always made me include the pet name she'd assigned herself, and I hate pet names."

My head jerked up and I said, "You realize you have a habit of calling me sweetheart, right? And you never complain when I call you something other than Eric."

"I call you sweetheart?"

"Uh, yeah, and pretty frequently. You never noticed that?" I was amazed by the look of confusion on his face. "You called me that at least three times this morning before you left."

"Wow... I literally had no idea I was doing that," he said, and that blush crept into his cheeks. "At least it's better than 'honeybear,' which is what Isabel forced me to call her."

"Um, ew?" I crinkled my nose.

"Exactly," he laughed. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah," I smiled faintly. "I'm sorry I freaked out like that. It's just... I thought maybe you were having second thoughts, or maybe this was getting to be too much for you..."

A little voice in my head screamed at me to mention the love thing, but I shook that thought right back out of my head. He was probably already thinking I was a little bit of a nutter. I didn't need to bring that up, too.

"I haven't had a second thought since this started, and it's not too much. You've been so awesome about taking this slow, and I can't tell you how lucky you make me feel. I'm happy, I promise."

"Me too," I smiled at him.

"Can we go eat now, because I'm starving."

"Me too. I skipped lunch," I admitted.

"Why?"

"I couldn't eat. The pictures made me a little nauseous," I explained and suddenly felt stupid for ever thinking Eric wasn't over Isabel. "My insecurity got the better of me."

"It's okay. Mine has gotten the better of me when it comes to you too."

"We're quite the pair, aren't we?" I laughed nervously.

"Yes, we are," he smiled. "But I think we'll be fine as long as we keep being honest with each other."

"I agree," I draped my arm over him. "I'm starving but I don't want to get off this couch."

"Want me to see if I have anything here to cook?"

"Sure. I'll even haul my ass off the couch and be your sous chef," I offered.

"See? This is why I put up with your crazy."

"Because I offer to be your sous chef when I would rather be lazy?"

"Yup."

"And because I'm a good kisser," I said and tilted my head up with my lips puckered.

He obliged, pulling me flush against him. The man liked the way my boobs felt no matter what body part of his they were touching. "And because of that."

I smacked my lips and said, "Okay, we need to go to the kitchen before I give up on food and just stay here and make out with you instead."

"I like that idea too."

"Nope, you got me thinking about dinner. Feed me," I insisted and got up off the couch before he had me trapped under him.

"I know something you could have that has protein," he said suggestively.

"Scrambled eggs?" I suggested and stuck my tongue out at him. "I do like breakfast for dinner."

"That's... not, what I was thinking."

"I know what you were thinking," I sauntered into the kitchen. "And that's not happening until I have a full tummy."

"But it's happening?"

"If you quit stalling on making me dinner!" I called and started looking in the fridge to see what we had to work with.

He followed me into the kitchen and stood behind me. "I think we have all the stuff for any kind of egg thing, or I could make waffles."

"Mmmm... waffles..." I smiled over my shoulder. "Can we have waffles?"

"We can," he grinned back at me. "You can have anything your heart desires."

"Waffles it is. So you tell me what to do, and I'll do it," I said, and immediately wanted to revise what I said, based on the leer I got.

"This applies only to waffle-making?"

"For now. You may get the same privilege later if you're a good boy," I winked at him and then backed up toward the island.

"Then I'll be extra good."

I pushed myself up onto the island and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"There is a container of heavy whipping cream in the fridge. Please turn that into whipped cream."

"How do I do that?" I asked just to see the expression on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Do I use a fork?"

"Why don't you just sit on the counter and look pretty?" he suggested. "Sound good?"

I walked over to him, laughing hysterically and said, "Eric, I know how to make whipped cream. Where's the whisk attachment for your mixer?"

"Thank fucking Christ. If you didn't know how to make whipped cream I was going to have to consider spanking you. The attachment is in the drawer under the mixer."

I snickered and turned to the drawer in question. "That's an awfully extreme punishment for not knowing how to make whipped cream, mister. Now boiling water or making toast? That I would understand. Oh, and remind me to keep the paddle attachment away from you," I snorted.

I got the attachment out, fought it onto the fancy pants standing mixer and then went to the fridge to get the pint of whipping cream out. I poured it into the bowl, added a little sugar, and started the mixer. When that was done, I got back up on the counter to watch him work.

"What now?" I asked him while he whisked by hand.

"Sit there and look pretty," he said. "Oh look, you're already doing it!"

"It's a natural talent," I said, and briefly considered whipping my shirt off just for the heck of it, but decided that could completely derail dinner plans.

"If you really, really want to, you could slice up the frozen strawberries I have."

"Do I use a butter knife for that?" I asked and slid off the counter again.

"Why don't you try and see how far that gets you?"

"Can't I put them in the microwave first?"

"Maybe you should just get back up on the counter."

I chuckled and pulled the bag out of the freezer. Eric was eyeballing me suspiciously until I grabbed a cutting board and a paring knife from the butcher block. I was careful not to nick my fingers while I sliced the berries, which was easier said than done since they were frozen.

"Want me to put a little sugar on these too to get them juicy?" I asked once I had a small bowl full of strawberry slices.

"Yes, please," he said. He was pouring batter into the waffle maker.

I went over to check on the whipped cream and make sure it wasn't about to become butter, and turned the mixer down a couple of notches. I sprinkled a few teaspoons of sugar on the berries and set them off to the side, and then it was back up on the counter with me.

"Okay, so in the interest of full disclosure, I feel like there is something I should tell you," I said a little nervously and bit my bottom lip.

"Go right ahead," he said, turning to give me his full attention.

"I realize that I just gave you a hard time for that Isabel stuff that was in your desk," I started and he nodded. "I have a few boxes packed away in my closet that have stuff from previous relationships. I haven't looked at any of it in a really long time, and I'm not even really sure why I'm saving it, to be honest. It was stuff that meant something to me at the time that I kept it, but now... well, I don't think I need it anymore. When I go home, it's all going in the trash. All of it."

"Thank you for telling me," he said. He came over and kissed me, placing his hands on my hips. "I'm glad you want to get rid of it. I'm sure I would have reacted badly if I had ever come across it."

"I'm sure you would too," I pulled him closer with my legs. "I don't want you thinking that any of that stuff matters, or any of those guys matter. You're it for me."

"I'm going to ask you something, and if you want to slap me, so be it."

My eyes widened and I said, "I don't think I'll want to slap you."

"You might after I ask."

"Well ask me and find out."

"How many guys have there been?" he asked carefully.

"How many have I dated, or how many have I slept with?" I leaned forward a little and braced myself on my hands so he would know I had no intention of slapping him.

"Both?"

"Um, well, dated, I'm not really sure. I mean, I've gone on a lot of single dates that never went anywhere, and I stopped counting a long time ago. As for how many guys I've slept with, you make number eight," I told him.

"Seriously?"

"Is that a problem?" I asked nervously.

"What? No! I'm... I'm surprised it wasn't more. You're practically a virgin compared to me."

"So you wish I was sluttier?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"You aren't slutty to begin with, but no I don't wish you had more, I just... I don't know, I feel like a bit of a whore."

I slapped his arm. "Stop talking about my boyfriend like that."

"Well, shit. I have 24 to your 8."

"So? I get the benefit of all that experience. A wise man once said you don't save it for the one. You _practice _for the one. I'm not saying I'm 'the one,' but if I am... then I win," I shrugged and grinned at him. "I don't think you're a whore, Eric. You're just you."

"You're not jealous at all of the fact that I've been with a lot of other women?"

"Only if you're still fucking them behind my back, or plotting ways to raise your magic number."

"I'm not, and I'd rather lower it," he said, frowning a little. He turned to check the waffles, and I hopped off the counter.

I turned off the mixer quickly and then hugged Eric from behind. "Listen up, you. There is no changing the past. What's done is done and you can't take it back. Where you've been is what led you to where you are, and I'm glad you're here with me. So stop kicking yourself for any regrets you might have and enjoy the present."

"You promise you're not bothered by it?"

"I promise," I squeezed him.

"Thank you for not being judgmental."

"Like I told you before, Eric, we both have a past. I can't hold that against you, and even if I could, I wouldn't," I moved around him and got back up on the counter. "There is one small problem though..."

"What is that?"

"The whipped cream is now whipped butter," I said and then started laughing.

"Oh..." he laughed. "Well, it's a good thing butter is good on waffles too."

"Yes it is... although I will admit I was plotting ways to use that leftover whipped cream when we were done eating," I admitted and peered over to look at the waffles. They smelled amazing.

"I do have a can of Reddi-Whip in the fridge too," he said, raising a brow at me. "Placement would be easier with that."

"You raise an excellent point," I looked down and said, "Several, in fact."

"Do I?"

"You do," I met his eyes but quickly looked away. "Careful or you'll burn the waffles."

"Right, you better finish the butter so we can use it on them," he said, and turned to add more batter to the waffle maker.

"Is this really butter in here, or is it just really stiff whipped cream?" I asked when I looked into the mixing bowl.

Eric came over and dipped his pinky into it to taste. "That is cream that is halfway on its way to butter."

"Well shit. What does that mean?" I stepped out of the way.

"It means that if you whip it for another couple minutes it'll start to turn into butter, but it's past the whipped cream stage. Have you never made butter in a mixer before?"

"You've seen my kitchen. I'm lucky I have a hand-mixer in there," I sighed. "I fail as a sous chef."

"You don't fail, you just made something other than intended. It's not like you ruined it. Keep whipping it and I'll show you how to make butter."

He was being sweet about it, but I still felt like an idiot for fucking up something as simple as whipped cream. I started the mixer and got back up on the counter. "I think from now on I should stick to sitting here looking pretty."

"Oh come on, if we hadn't been talking about serious shit we would have caught it. Besides, I still have the can in the fridge."

"I know, but who fucks up whipped cream?" I laughed and shook my head. "I'm no professional, but I can at least do that."

"Stop being a Debbie downer," he rolled his eyes.

"Give me something to smile about and I will," I leaned a little closer to him.

"I would, but you insisted on dinner first," he said.

"You just lost a half-assed sous chef, buddy," I said with mock offense, and slid down off the counter to check my failed attempt at whipped cream.

"Sookie, come on, you know you didn't ruin anything."

"Yeah, yeah," I said dismissively and leaned against the counter with my back to him.

Eric sighed, and turned me around to face him, then planted a very sweet kiss on my lips.

"You are the best sous chef I could ask for," he said. "The only way you'd be better is if you were topless."

I smiled and said, "I considered it, but the chefing would be completely forgotten."

"Which is why you're the best. You know when to keep your top on so we can get actual work done."

"I'm going to mark this on a calendar..." I snickered.

"Mark what?"

"February twenty-fourth, the day Eric was happy I kept my shirt on. I think I should make sure I always keep my shirt on on this day from now on."

His eyebrows rose again, and he said, "The hell if you will."

"Oh come on! One day a year without the girls? You can do it."

"No, no I can't."

"Yes you can. I have faith in you."

"I don't have faith in me."

"Now who's the Debbie Downer?"

"Different kind of downer, Sook."

I moved across the room and asked, "Did I ever tell you how adorable you are when you pout?"

"I think so," he said, continuing with the pouting.

"Oh good," I exaggerated a sigh of relief.

"Can we just eat now so I can get you naked?"

"Sure," I smiled at him and then added, "I was serious about that keeping my shirt on thing though."

"We'll see about that," he smirked.

"Yeah we will," I went to get plates. "But hey, at least I didn't say I was going to keep my pants on, so there's that."

"That would _so _not be happening."

"You think I couldn't?" I folded my arms over my chest after setting the plates down on the island.

"I could easily get you to want to take them off."

"Oh I don't think so," I plucked a waffle from the pile.

"All I would have to do is talk about how much I want you. How much I want to taste you," he said, dipping his head low to my ear.

"Doesn't mean my pants are coming off," I said with determination.

"What about if I tell you how I love the way your pussy grips my cock?"

I looked down and said, "Mmm... pants are still on," and then grabbed my plate and went to the other counter to grab the strawberries.

"And if I did this," he said, pressing himself against my back, and slipped his hand down between my legs, on top of my jeans.

My traitor body betrayed me and my breath caught. I closed my eyes, steeled my will and said, "Nope, nice try though."

Unfortunately he wasn't letting me pass that easily. His arm was blocking my escape route. Dammit.

"Dinner's getting cold," I looked up into his heated eyes.

"Alright then, eat dinner, and you can just go sleep in your own bed tonight while I stay here, alone, and... well, just... go eat."

I couldn't tell if he was legitimately upset or just being dramatic, but I picked up my plate and went over to the kitchen table. Eric came over a few minutes later after grabbing the can of whipped cream from the fridge. I cut into my waffle and took a bite, and as per usual, moaned when I tasted something yummy.

"You are not going to get my pants off that easy, Sookie."

"I wasn't trying to," I said when I swallowed. "You basically just told me to eat and leave, so your pants can stay right where they are."

"Well it's not like your pants were going to come off tonight, and you're probably in more of a snuggling mood anyway."

I shrugged, took another bite of my waffle and said, "I'm not really in any mood."

"All I know is that I'm not in the mood for anything. In fact, I think we should try abstinence."

"Okay," I shrugged again. He was so full of shit, but I could play along.

"Maybe it'll be like me paying penance for being such a whore."

I dropped my fork and glared at him. I sat back in my chair and folded my arms over my chest, but I kept quiet.

"What?" he laughed.

"Not funny, Eric."

"Why? I thought it was funny."

"Because you made it pretty obvious before that your number bothers you. I don't... nevermind," I picked up my fork again and stuffed another piece of waffle in my mouth.

"Of course it bothers me, Sookie. I'm not good enough for you."

"Seriously?" I stared at him but his expression didn't change.

"Yes, seriously."

"That's the most ridiculous thing you've said today," I shook my head.

"Is it? Maybe you deserve someone a little more on the innocent side."

"Did you smoke your lunch today?" I dropped my fork again and pushed back from the table. "I'm not hungry anymore."

He sighed. "I'm scared I'm going to fuck this all up, okay? I want to be with you. I want it so much, but I'm afraid that I'm going to fuck it up royally, and you'll never speak to me again. Seeing that shit from my whatever with Isabel just... I don't know."

"That's the risk you take, Eric. The only guarantee we have in life is that we're going to die someday. The rest... it's all up to chance. We could be together until the day one of us dies, or we could wake up tomorrow and decide that we don't want to do this anymore. There's no way of knowing what the future is going to bring. Just know where you are right now, and focus on that. You aren't a guy that's built for future planning when it comes to relationships. I know this about you, and I'm still here."

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he sighed, putting his face in his hands. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Clearly, this is what happens when you refuse to take off your pants."

"Eric, a lack of sex doesn't mean that our relationship is in the shitter," I told him.

"No, but it does mean I go insane."

"That wasn't insane-that was a revelation, I think. You know, one of those epiphany things."

"And what was the epiphany?"

"That you're afraid of fucking this up? That's actually a good thing because it means you have something to lose."

"I've always had something to lose."

I cracked a smile and said, "You're only going to lose me if you give me away, Eric."

"Or if I do something stupid."

"Which would fall under the giving me away category."

"I won't do that."

"I hope not. I'd probably kick your ass."

"Would you now?"

"If you did something stupid that caused us to break up? Yes, I'm fairly certain I would kick your ass," I nodded with certainty.

"You're scrappy and all, but I don't think you could do any damage."

"I grew up with Jason, remember?" I pointed out. "Believe me when I tell you that I learned how to kick ass when I was little, or I never would have survived growing up with him. Plus I can always distract you with my boobs."

"That's an unfair advantage and you know it."

I shrugged and said, "All's fair in love and war, baby."

"Not when it comes to your boobs."

"Boobs that are still staying covered today," I told him.

"I think we've already established that we aren't banging tonight."

"You give up way too easily," I shook my head and picked up a piece of strawberry off my plate.

"No I don't, I just know when not to try anymore."

"Okay," I said and picked up my plate to take it over to the sink.

"You know I'm okay with it, right?"

"Yep," I set the plate down.

"Good."

"Great."

I don't know what it was about him in that moment, but I was irritated with him. I was torn between wanting to really have it out with him, and just going home to chill out in my own space for a little while. But then smirk on his face was going a long way to tip the scales.

Before I said something I would regret, I headed upstairs to get my things from his bedroom. When I came downstairs I got Sully leashed and ready to go home. I put on my shoes and coat and then went to the kitchen to say goodbye to Eric, who was already standing at the sink washing dishes.

"I'm leaving now. I'll call you tomorrow," I promised.

"Hey wait," he said, and dried his hands off. "I'm sorry for being a dick."

"You weren't being a dick. You were being honest. You don't need to apologize to me for that. Ever." I told him.

"I'm still sorry," he said. "Can I have a hug before you leave?"

I leaned in and hugged him, but I didn't feel the same comfort I usually did when he hugged me. My mood was just all kinds of throwing me off, and I decided then that it was a good thing that I was going home. If I stayed, we would end up getting into an even bigger fight.

"I'll miss you tonight," he said.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said. I couldn't tell him I would miss him, since I wasn't sure I would, at the moment.

"Bye, sweetheart."

"See you later," I let him go and walked out of the kitchen.

**oOoOoOo**

I got home a short time later and went straight to my closet. I pulled down all the boxes I had talked about earlier with the momentos from my other relationships. I didn't look at the contents, I just gathered them all up and took them out to the garage so they would go out on trash day. I felt a load lift from my shoulders, but there was still the matter of what it was about Eric that was bothering me. If I could put my finger on that, I would have felt much better.

* * *

><p><strong>So, here we have another appearance from emotionally unstable Sookie. I would love to tell you that they kiss and makeup next chapter, but it may not work out quite like that. You'll just have to wait and see how it goes. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	18. No Excuses

Chapter 18: No Excuses

"_It's okay. Had a bad day. Hands are bruised from breaking rocks all day. Drained and blue, I bleed for you. You think it's funny, well you're drowning in it too."  
>–Alice in Chains<em>

I didn't feel any better when I woke up the following morning. My shitty mood was still hanging over my head like a dark cloud, and I knew it had a lot to do with the fight I'd had with Eric the day before. I wasn't even sure what we had fought about, and that was the worst part of it. I couldn't remember what his work schedule was but since I had no idea what time he went to bed, I got up and put together a load of laundry to get started before I called him.

But when I went to start the machine, nothing happened. I tried unplugging it, putting it on different settings and nothing happened. "Motherfucker!" I yelled and kicked the machine. Still nothing.

I wasn't expecting the kick to fix it, but a girl could hope. The machine was on its last legs, but I had been hoping I could hold out until later in the spring to buy a new one. In the meantime I needed clean clothes, so I decided to swallow my pride and call Eric to see if I could use his. I grabbed my phone off the bedside table and dialed his number, praying I wouldn't wake him up since it was after ten.

"Hello?" he answered, and didn't sound groggy, so I hoped I had succeeded in not waking him.

"Hey, I hope I didn't wake you up," I said hopefully and nibbled my thumb nail gently.

"Nope, I'm at work. Had to go in early to get the order done. What's up?"

"My washing machine seems to have bit it. I was wondering if I could use yours?" I closed my eyes and prayed he wouldn't hold last night's bitchery against my wardrobe.

"Sure you can, you know where it is," he said.

"Oh thank you! You are a lifesaver! Otherwise I'd have to go to work in my old cheerleading uniform on Monday," I snickered.

"That, I would not have been cool with. Yeah, just go on over anytime, you have a key."

"Awesome. Thank you. I'll make you dinner, or something," I promised him.

"You don't have to do anything in return."

"No, I want to. After last night, I owe you at least that," I admitted, and sat on the side of my unmade bed.

"You don't owe me anything, but I won't say no," he said.

"Okay, well, I'll pack up my stuff and be over in a little while. Any idea when you'll be home?"

"Not yet. Still waiting to hear from a bartender on whether or not I'll be filling in tonight."

"Yikes. That sucks." I headed for the laundry room and started unloading the washer.

"Yes it does. I'll let you know when I know."

"Okay. See you later then," I said as cheerfully as I could.

"Bye."

"Bye," I hung up and stuffed my phone in my tank top for the moment so I could finish unloading the machine.

It took a while to get everything situated, but within a half an hour I had all my stuff together and was on my way over to Eric's. I let Sully out first and he went straight for the front door. I followed behind with one of two laundry baskets that were overfilled with clothes. I'd been spending so much time with Eric lately that I hadn't really been keeping up on my chores like I should have been.

I let us into the house and Sully went straight for his bed in the living room while I headed for the laundry room to get a load started. By my estimation, I had at least five loads to do, and I figured I might as well check upstairs to see what Eric had piled up. Once I had everything sorted I started thinking about what to make for dinner. Since it was looking like it might snow later, and my mood was still on the iffy side, I decided comfort food was in order. What could be more comforting than pot roast and mashed potatoes?

Once the the load in the wash was moved to the drier, and a second load was in the washer, I took a trip up to the grocery store to get what I needed. I also picked up some ice cream, and a venti white mocha at the Starbucks that was built into the grocery store. I was back within forty-five minutes and had just enough time to put the groceries away before I had to take the clothes out of the drier.

From that point on, I was a bit of a domestic diva, but leaving a mess in my path. I was running back and forth from the laundry room to the kitchen. I had piles of clothes all over the place, either folded or waiting to be washed. In the kitchen I had the remnants of the onion that had gone into the dutch oven. There were carrot peels in the sink, and a dirty pot on the stove that I had used to make broth in.

I had been so busy running around that I had missed the text message Eric sent until I remembered to check my phone. He'd sent the message somewhere around three hours before, telling me when he would be home. A quick check of the time told me that he would be pulling in any second. Unfortunately that was the moment Sully chose to start whining at the door to go out, so I was in the midst of doing that when the garage door went up.

A few seconds later the garage door opened and then closed. I was still standing at the sliding door when I heard Eric curse behind me. I turned around to see him looking rather agitated with the mess and I immediately started to apologize.

"I know it looks like a disaster, but I'll straighten it up," I told him.

"Are you kidding me with this mess?" he asked. "You know I don't keep my house like this."

"I know, I know. I've just been running back and forth from the kitchen to the laundry room all day," I sighed and sat down in the arm chair, only to realize I hadn't sat down since I got out of the car hours before.

"Well I've had a long day. I didn't think I was going to come home to all this. I thought you'd just have some laundry baskets."

"I have two," I nodded to the couch.

"And piles of clothes, and dirty dishes," he sighed. "Whatever you're cooking smells great though."

"Assuming I don't burn it," I muttered sarcastically.

"You're not going to burn it."

"It's pot roast, by the way. I have to start peeling potatoes in a minute," I got up and headed for the kitchen.

I started looking all over for the vegetable peeler since I didn't know where it was in the mess I'd already made. Common sense would dictate that I run the garbage disposal to get rid of the carrot peels first, but I ignored them and started peeling the potatoes. Eric stepped into the kitchen behind me and sucked in a breath.

"What?" I asked over my shoulder, and could see his jaw was clenched.

"Nothing," he sighed.

"Bullshit," I turned off the water and turned to face him. "If you have something to say, then say it."

"I'm just not used to coming home to such a mess, that's all. It gets on my nerves when things are out of order."

"I told you I would clean it up," I rolled my eyes.

"That's not the point."

"Then what _is _the point? Would you rather I just leave? Would that be better?" I offered.

"No. When did you get so dramatic?"

"Right around the time you started having a hissy fit over a little mess," I stared at him.

"A _little_ mess, Sookie? Really?" he asked, incredulous, as he gestured around the room.

"God, let it go, Eric. Not everything has to be sterilized all the time. Lighten up," I turned around to start peeling potatoes again, but stopped when he started cleaning. I whipped around and said, "Don't touch it! I said I would clean it up and I will!"

"So I'm supposed to sit back and relax when I'm not comfortable in my own home?"

"Go upstairs, take a shower and relax. I'll take care of it," I told him.

"That's just it, I don't want to go upstairs and relax, I wanted to come home to a house looking like I left it."

"Well that didn't happen. I don't know what you want me to say, Eric. I said I would clean it up and I will, but I can't be ten places at once, so get off my dick!" I yelled at him.

"There wouldn't be a mess if you hadn't made one in the first place!" he yelled back.

I could feel my blood pressure rising. I knew my face was red and I was seriously considering throwing the half peel potato in my hand at him. God, he made me mad!

"Wah, wah, wah, there's clothes in the living room." I rolled my eyes. "God forbid you just chill out for a few minutes and let me finish what I need to do!"

"You mean finish making a bigger mess?"

"Fuck you, Eric!" I turned around and went back to peeling potatoes. Asshole.

"Excuse me?"

I dropped the potato in the sink along with the peeler, turned around and very slowly said, "Fuck. You."

"Screw this shit," he said, throwing his hands in the air. He turned and left the room, and I heard him stomping up the stairs like a petulant child.

I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. We had never fought like this before. On one hand, I understood why he was pissed, but damn... I told him I would fix everything, but that wasn't good enough. I wasn't a fucking genie that could just blink everything back into its right place, and I didn't want him cleaning up after me either. He could just stay upstairs and sulk, for all I cared.

I finished peeling potatoes and got them into some water just as the buzzer went off on the drier. I pulled the load out and started folding everything into a couple of brand new piles. I realized it was my last load and breathed a sigh of relief. I had a couple of Eric's towels, t-shirts and boxers in with that load. I folded those and against my better judgment, decided to take them upstairs for him.

The bedroom door was closed so I knocked and said, "I have laundry for you!"

"The door is open," he called back.

I took a deep breath, opened the door and walked over to the bed. "Here. That was from the last load so I'm putting everything back where it belongs now. You can calm your tits," I turned to walk out.

"Sookie, wait," he said, sitting up in bed.

"What, Eric? Did I not fold that stuff right?" I didn't turn back to face him. "I have a huge mess downstairs that I need to clean up."

He sighed, and I heard him fall back onto the bed. "Never fucking mind."

"Fine," I muttered and then slammed the door behind me when I walked out.

I went downstairs and gathered my laundry up, putting it into my basket the way I wanted it. Then I went to let poor Sully inside, and from there I went to the kitchen to clean up the mess in there. In all, it only took me about fifteen minutes to get everything back the way it belonged. Not long after that, I pulled the pot roast out of the oven and discovered that the potatoes were fork tender so I drained those and started mashing them.

Eric hadn't even been home an hour and his house was restored to the way it was when he left _and_ his laundry was done, _and_ I had made him dinner. Jerk.

I wasn't hungry anymore, and I didn't feel like sticking around. I just wanted to go home. I was exhausted and I didn't want to fight anymore. It took three trips to get my laundry out to the car since some of it had to be hung immediately, but then I came in and got Sully ready to go as well. I heard Eric move around upstairs and then the shower started. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wasn't going to have to see him face to face before I left again. I pulled on my coat and shoes, grabbed my purse and took Sully out to the car.

I grabbed my phone and sent Eric a text to let him know that his dinner was ready and I had gone home. Yeah, it was kind of a cunty move, but I just didn't care at the moment. I just needed to be away from Eric. At the moment, I didn't really care how I accomplished that as long as it happened.

**oOoOoOo**

My laundry was all put away and I was looking around online at the prices of new washers. I wanted to cry. My stomach was growling and I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day. Between the chores and the fighting, I just hadn't thought about it. I went to the kitchen and started looking in my pantry, considering what to have for dinner, when Sully suddenly jumped up and went to the front door with his tail wagging.

I was seriously contemplating making popcorn and nothing else (I'd already done enough cooking, thank you very much), when the deadbolt flipped over on my door. I stood upright and took a couple of steps back to lean out of the pantry. I heard the door open but it was another couple of seconds before I saw the red dutch oven I knew was Eric's. I sighed and stepped out of the pantry so he would see me standing in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" I leaned against the counter behind me.

"I came to wave the white flag of surrender," he said, holding up the dutch oven.

The snarky, sarcastic bitch that had been calling the shots wanted to point out that the pot was red, but I was tired of fighting with him, too. My shoulders sagged and I nodded.

"I think it's time to call a cease fire," I agreed.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "For yelling at you, and being annoyed at everything."

I sighed and said, "Me too. I'm sorry for being a bitch last night. I'm sorry for wrecking your house this afternoon. I'm sorry for ruining your dinner, and I'm sorry I snuck out like I did."

He set the dutch oven down on the counter and came over to wrap his arms around me. "Apology accepted."

When he hugged me I relaxed and leaned into him, which I hadn't been able to do the night before. Just breathing him in made me feel better.

"I don't like fighting with you, as good as I am at it," I told him.

"I don't either, especially 'cause you're good at it," he smiled.

"Fighting with you was more fun when it didn't make me cry," I snickered.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," he said, holding me tighter.

"It's as much my fault as it is yours," I looked up at him. "I'm sorry I'm crazy sometimes."

"You wouldn't be you if you _weren't_ a little crazy sometimes. I knew that when I signed up."

"Yeah," I bit my bottom lip and looked into his eyes.

"It's time, Sookie."

"Time for what?" I smiled at him.

"Time for make-up sex," he said, then quickly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"Eric!" I laughed, but he didn't put me down.

"Where shall we have it? You've worked hard all day, I think maybe we should multi-task and get you cleaned up at the same time. Shower sex?"

"You just took a shower," I reminded him.

"So? I'll need one after we do it anyway."

"Good thinking," I said as he put me down on my bed. "But can I ask you something first?"

"Of course you can."

Just because I could, I pulled my shirt off and asked, "Why did you bring the dutch oven with you?"

"Because you worked hard on that supper and I didn't want to enjoy it without you," he answered.

"Oh," I smiled. "Well, that'll be much better than microwaved popcorn."

"Popcorn? After you made a perfectly good pot roast?"

"I didn't really feel like cooking," I shrugged, but then stood up on my bed. "But I think we're talking too much, and I _know _I have way too many clothes on."

"Yes you do," he grinned, and helped me with my problem.

"Would you look at that? You got my pants off," I giggled and kicked them across the room. Bet he didn't mind the mess right about then.

"Isn't that something?" he said. "Unfortunately, you have yet to get mine off."

I looked him up and down and said, "Mmm... I think you're right. I guess we could take your pants off too."

But I started with his sweatervest and pulled that up over his head. His button down shirt was next to go, and what felt like an hour later, I finally got to his pants. It was then that he chose to tilt my face up while he leaned down to kiss me. My hands stopped moving and instead my arms circled his neck. When he stood up straight my body followed his and my legs ended up wrapped around him. He shuffled back toward the bathroom and set me down on the vanity beside the sink to start the water for the shower. I bit my bottom lip and considered reaching out to grab his ass, but kept my hands to myself.

Of course, he caught me staring when he turned around.

"Like that, Sookie?" he asked, smirking at me.

"You know I do," I bit my lip again.

"You can touch it if you want."

"Come here," I crooked a finger at him, and all it took was a step and a half to get to me. I looked up into his eyes and blindly reached for the fly of his jeans. I got his pants open and pushed them down. My hands slid around and I grabbed his ass.

His eyes got darker and in the blink of an eye, his lips were on mine. I pulled him closer and his hands threaded in my hair. We battled each other with kisses until the room started to get steamy from the shower. Eric kicked his jeans the rest of the way off and sent them flying out of the bathroom on his final kick.

"Oh sure, mess up my house, but-" I teased but was cut off.

"Hey now, this is for different reasons, and you're not an OCD freak, so can it and let me fuck you."

"Yes sir," I said, and then surprised him by slapping his ass with a big grin on my face.

"Oh my," he grinned. "That's what I'm talking about."

"Less talking, more fucking," I tried to impersonate him and he just laughed.

"I like the way you take initiative, sweetheart."

"And I like the way you call me sweetheart," I told him and pulled his face to mine. "A lot."

"I still don't realize I'm saying it half the time," he admitted. "But I'm glad you like it."

I smiled and then kissed him. He pulled me off the vanity and stepped back toward the shower stall. He slid the door open and I followed him inside, closing the door behind me. Eric backed me under the water part way, and enjoyed watching the beads roll down my skin, particularly on my breasts since it would drip from them. He licked his lips like a starving man and then bowed his head to take one of my nipples in his mouth. I moaned when his had began to roll and tease the other. After a minute his mouth switched to the other side and his other hand came up to tease the nipple his mouth had been working.

I trailed my nails up and down his chest, pausing to tease his nipples the same as he was doing to me. He growled and released my breast to claim my lips instead. His hand moved down my side and the around over my ass and between my thighs. My legs parted for him and he growled again when his fingers brushed my folds. They were already slick with my juices in anticipation of the make up sex I knew we were about to have.

"I love how wet you are for me, Sookie," he said against my lips.

"And I love," I started as I reached for his cock, "that anytime I touch you like this, your eyes roll into the back of your head."

I smiled when it happened again as I stroked him. Eric pulled me closer to him and reclaimed my mouth with his. I kept stroking him and his fingers continued to tease my pussy. Finally I broke the kiss and moved my lips down his chest to his stomach, and then along his happy trail. I sank to my knees and he got his first burst of hot water with me out of the way. I looked up into his eyes and he watched as I licked his cock from base to tip. His hand slid into my hair, cradling my head gently while I moved down a little farther to play with his balls for a minute.

He groaned and I asked, "Like that, baby?"

"Fuck yeah," he gritted.

"Where do you want my mouth, Eric? Here?" I kissed one of his balls. "Here?" I licked his shaft. "Or maybe here?" I sucked the head of his cock and his eyes rolled again. "I think we have a winner," I smiled up at him, and then opened my mouth to take as much of him as I could.

I swirled my tongue when I could, and used my hand to stroke what didn't fit in my mouth. I kept my eyes on Eric's and when he got close to coming, he gently pulled me back. "Enough, sweetheart. I'll come down your throat later."

"Promise?" I stood up.

"Guaranfuckingteed," he grinned and then traded places with me so I was against the wall.

He kissed his way down my body and lifted one of my thighs up over his shoulder to kiss the inside of it. I was breathing hard in anticipation, and I put my right arm out to brace myself while my left went to his hair. Eric looked up at me with the intense, primal look and then he was using his thumbs to part my folds. He inhaled and closed his eyes.

"I love the way you smell before I fuck you, so sweet and ready for me," his tongue darted out and licked me from my opening to my clit.

I moaned loudly and watched as his tongue settle a little farther down and traced my entrance a few times before he stiffened it, and slid it inside me. Eric moaned, and the vibrations of it rocked me. I whimpered and he asked, "Do you want more?"

"Yes," I gasped and he smiled a little.

"I can't hear you, sweetheart," he purred against my thigh.

"Yes, I want more!" I shouted and he grinned.

"That's my girl," he said and the latched onto my clit.

I screamed and my head flew back, hitting the tiles. I was glad I was holding onto the wall. His fingers slipped inside me and twisted a little with every stroke. He waited until I was right on the edge and then he popped up, turned me around and entered me from behind in one fluid stroke.

"Oh fuck!" I shouted, and my muscles clenched around his cock. His fingers rubbed my clit and he pulled almost all the way out, and then filled me again just as fast. "Again!" I panted.

He did it over and over until I was almost in tears from being on edge for so long. Eric pressed me against the wall with his hand on my throat. His thrusts slowed, but got a little harder. He leaned down to my ear and started whispering.

"I fucking missed you, Sookie. I don't like being without you," his finger rubbed a little faster over my clit and I whimpered at how close my orgasm was, but my body just wouldn't let me have it yet. He nibbled on my ear and said, "You drive me mad, woman, but I can't get enough of you."

I cried out and said, "Please, Eric, make me come. I need it."

I was officially begging for it. He pulled out of me and turned me around. His hands slipped down and grabbed me by my thighs so he could lift me up. My legs wrapped around his waist and he thrust into me again. My eyes went wide at the change in angles and he growled before leaning in to kiss me roughly. His hips started to thrust and when the kiss broke he said, "Touch yourself, Sookie. I want to see you make yourself come."

My hand was between us immediately, and my eyes watched his, which were watching my fingers. His hips moved quickly, bouncing me against the wall over and over, and I was glad there wasn't a neighbor on the other side of that wall, or my screams probably would have had them calling the cops.

As it was, I was sure I would have more finger shaped bruises on my ass and hips from how tightly he was holding me. My fingers knew which way to move, and when my body finally let go and released, I thought I might blackout from it. My screams were joined by Eric's when he lost control of himself and came hard inside me. I felt his knees give a little, but he pinned me against the wall to keep us from falling.

My eyes were squeezed shut, but it was his voice that made them open again. "I don't like fighting with you," he took a couple of deep breaths, "but if we always make up like that it might be worth it."

I laughed slightly while trying to catch my breath. "Or I could just deny you sex for a few days," I suggested as an alternative since I didn't want to fight over stupid shit just so we could have loud sex in the shower.

"Don't you dare," he gave me one of those kisses that turned my insides into pudding.

I rocked my hips against him and was amazed when he started to harden again. My eyes popped open mid-kiss, and I gently removed my lips from his. I looked down between us, amazed at the rapid rebound time. I didn't know he could do that, but he just grinned and started to thrust again.

"Oh my God," I whimpered and let my head roll a little. "How did you..."

"I always want to be inside you, Sookie," Eric said against my neck before sucking on a spot that made me shiver.

Our hips moved together and round two was slower and much sweeter than the first time. Eric reacquainted himself with my breasts in between kisses on my mouth. My orgasm fluttered out instead of building like a tsunami that almost crippled me. I didn't scream, but I didn't need to. I clung to Eric, whimpering and moaning in his ear.

"I love the noises you make sweetheart," he kissed my face and then said, "look at me, Sookie."

My eyes opened and I watched his face as he swelled inside me and then came again, foreign words falling from his lips. The look in his eyes was one I had never seen from him before and I didn't know how to describe it. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. We stayed there for a while, just kissing, until Eric put me down.

I had to hold onto him for a little while, but as long as my boobs were pressed against him he didn't seem to care. We washed each other off and then got out of the shower. I heard Sully making noise in the living room, and pulled on my robe to investigate while Eric dried off.

I peeked around the corner to look down the hall and cursed under my breath. I turned back to the bathroom and opened the door a crack. "We have a problem," I whispered to Eric.

"Why are you whispering?" He whispered back.

"Jason's here," I said and Eric looked a little panicked for a second.

"Fuck!" He muttered.

"You get dressed and I'll see if I can get rid of him," I suggested.

"And if you can't?"

"Climb out my bedroom window?" I suggested.

"No," Eric said resolutely.

"I'll text you," I promised, kissed him once more and then closed the door.

Just how long had Jason been there anyway? I was about to find out. I walked down the hall to the living room. Jason was stretched out on my couch with one arm over his eyes and the other petting Sully.

"Jase? What are you doing here?" I asked as I came to a stop behind the overstuffed chair.

He lifted his arm and said, "I need a place to crash. Pam kicked me out."

"What?" My jaw dropped. "What do you mean she kicked you out?"

"We got in a fight and she told me to sleep someplace else tonight," Jason dropped his arm again dramatically.

"What did you fight about?"

"You don't wanna know," Jason muttered. "Can I crash in your spare room?"

"Jase, that's an office, remember?"

"Shit," he groaned and forced himself up.

"Why didn't you just go over to Hoyt's? He lives closer to you anyway," I reminded him.

"Yeah, but he don't wanna hear about my marriage problems. Besides, he's got a girlfriend now, so I'm sure they want their space."

Hoyt wasn't the only one, but I had no one to blame for this but myself.

"You should have called. I already have plans for tonight," I told him.

"Figured. I saw Eric's car in the driveway," he put his feet on the floor. "Where is he, anyway? I heard the shower running when I came in but I didn't see him anywhere."

"Oh, he's uh, he was installing some new organizer thing in my closet for me," I lied quickly.

"Well can I just hang out with you guys? I really don't want to sleep at Mom and Dad's if I don't have to," he ran his hand through his hair.

Fuck, fuck fuck. How could I say no? I was about to say it was fine, that he could stay when Eric appeared from behind me and gave a reason why that wasn't going to work.

"Hey Jason," Eric said. "What are you doing here?"

"Your sister is a psycho," Jason said curtly. "How did you live with her so long?"

"I left as quickly as possible," he laughed. "What did she do this time?"

Jason looked back and forth from Eric to me and said, "It's not the kinda thing I wanna talk about with Sook in the room."

I lifted my eyebrows and glanced over at Eric who didn't look too comfortable either.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I folded my arms over my chest. "I'm a girl. Maybe I can help you navigate some of Pam's crazy."

Pam and I were both female but we really only spoke the same language when it came to PMS and that sort of thing. Otherwise, we were about as different as two women could get. It was still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that she had gotten married, let alone to my brother.

"Actually Sookie, why don't you go check out the organizer so Jason can get out what's wrong with him?" Eric suggested. Smart boy had been listening to my conversation with Jason before he came out. I also noticed that his hair was dry.

"That is a fantastic idea," I said and quickly took off down the hall to my bedroom to leave them to chat. I hoped that whatever it was Jason had to talk to Eric about wasn't too weird, but knowing my brother... Poor Eric would probably need therapy. They waited until my bedroom door closed before they started talking.

"So what happened?" Eric asked.

"Well, we had this deal..." Jason trailed off. "I won't get too detailed since Pam's your sister, but we sorta... well sometimes it ain't just us, if you know what I mean?"

Oh God. I cringed on Eric's behalf.

"You have threesomes," Eric said simply. This probably wasn't a surprise to him, to be honest. Pam was outspoken about her sex life.

"Yeah. Only we made a deal before we got married that once we was married we would only do two girls because I don't want her gettin' pregnant with someone else's baby on accident," Jason said and that actually made sense. "But Pam wants to go back on that deal now and I told her no way in hell was that happening."

"I think that's fair. A deal's a deal, and it's reasonable. It's not like you told her no more at all."

"That's what I said!" Jason sounded vindicated. "But you know Pam, she don't give up when she thinks she's got a point. She gave a whole list of reasons why the deal was dumb, and I won't bother repeatin' 'em to you since I'm sure you don't want to hear it. I mean, I wouldn't want to hear about Sook gettin' it on with two guys at once."

Oh Jason... he had no idea what a button he pushed just by bringing that up.

"Sookie would never do something like that. And it's fine, I mean, Pam's my sister, but it's not like I knew her before puberty. I'm honestly surprised that you were ever okay with having sex with her and another guy at the same time."

"She can be convincing," Jason said grudgingly. "I'm all for keeping things interesting, but there has to be a line somewhere."

"Well, I've had threesomes before, but never with another guy. I'm a little too territorial."

Eric had threesomes before? Oh we were _so_ going to talk about that after Jason was gone. I was hoping Eric would be able to talk Jason into leaving. I really didn't want him crashing on my couch. It would be a night of grumbling about the wife, empty beer cans and more ESPN than was healthy for any woman to be exposed to in a twenty-four hour period.

"It ain't my thing, believe me, but you know Pam..." Jason trailed off for a moment. "She's just so damn bullheaded."

I started getting dressed while Eric talked Jason down from the ledge. I stayed in my room until I heard Jason starting to get a little loud about being pissed for having been kicked out of his own house. About an hour had passed before Jason was determined to go home and lay down the law. I suspected he would end up sleeping in his truck, but that was his problem. Finally, Jason called out to say his goodbye.

"Sook, I'm leavin'!" he shouted from the living room.

I breathed a sigh of relief and went out to the living room, where Eric was only looking a little worse for the wear. I hugged my brother and said, "Good luck dealing with Pam."

"This is a partnership. She don't get to call all the shots," Jason was all fired up, but I knew the second he laid eyes on Pam all that macho talk would go right out the window.

"You tell her, big brother," I patted his shoulder.

"Eric, you're a lifesaver. Y'all have fun at whatever you were plannin' for the night," Jason saluted and then walked out.

"He is so going to get his balls handed to him," Eric laughed when the door closed.

"Yup, but at least they'll be handed to him in his own house," I locked the door and went over to the couch. "Sooo... threesomes, huh?"

"I should have known you'd listen in," he sighed, but not like he was mad about it. "Yes, I've had threesomes before."

"How many?" I asked out of curiosity. I'd never done it, and wasn't sure I'd have the guts to go through with it.

"Two, and the second was only because I was trying to convince myself that I could like it."

"So you didn't?" I was surprised by that.

"You'd think I would. It's four boobs, four hands, two vaginas, what's not to love? But it was actually just kind of awkward. I'd rather focus all my attention on one woman than try and keep track of how turned on the other one is, or if she's more into my girl than my cock. And they're really, really hard to choreograph at times."

"I wouldn't know; I've never done it," I pulled my legs up so my knees were tucked under my chest.

"Is it something you're interested in?"

"I don't know," I shrugged and said, "I never really gave it much thought. I was never with someone that I trusted enough that I could do something like that with, except maybe Alcide and he was a little too... vanilla, I guess to even consider it."

Eric reached over and took my hand in his. "If it's ever something you decide you want to try, we can talk about it. Frankly, I don't want to share you, no matter if it's with a man or a woman. But inviting someone else in doesn't mean either of us actually has to have sex with them. Sometimes it's just having another person to watch, or touch a bit. I'm not closed off to it, but it's not something I seek either. So just talk to me about it if it's something to end up wanting to do. I promise not to shut you down."

"I'll remember that," I nodded and then bit my lip in thought, my brows furrowing a little.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to ask you something important and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me about this," I told him.

"Okay."

"Last night when we were arguing you said that you don't think you're good enough for me, that you don't think you deserve me. Do you _really_ believe that?" I asked him. That had been bothering me since the night before but I was too pissed at him to try and console him or reassure him over it.

His head dropped a bit, and he quietly answered me. "Sometimes."

I didn't hesitate in the slightest to shift myself over and get in his lap. I lifted his head and said, "You need to put that thought out of your head right now. If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't. _Please_ stop thinking that I think you're broken or not good enough or that I deserve better because I don't."

"Maybe it's just a defense mechanism," he said, his hands circling my waist. "I want to convince myself that you're too good for me so that when you finally break up with me it'll lessen the blow."

I sagged a little, feeling slightly defeated. My eyes welled and I really didn't want to cry anymore. I had done enough of that yesterday. I took a few deep breaths before raising my watery eyes to look at him.

"When you say things like that," I started, and immediately saw a little regret in his eyes for upsetting me. "it makes me feel like I'm not doing _my_ job to let you know how important you are to me. If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me instead of trying to push me away."

"You're not doing anything wrong," he insisted, cupping my face in his hands. "I'm happier than I have ever been in my life when I'm with you. I'm just scared that it's going to be ripped away from me, and I'm trying to move past that feeling. I know I say it a lot, but you just have to hang on and be patient with me a little while longer."

"I can be patient with you," I said with a slight smooshed face and he laughed quietly because of it.

"Good," he smiled. "And I'll try harder not to be such a downer."

"I would appreciate that," I leaned in and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm not leaving you, Eric. I'll say it as many times as it takes for you to get it. Or do I need to start sending you emails, cards and taking pictures of us for you to put all over your house to get the point?"

Smart ass, thy name is Sookie.

"No, because then you would be like Isabel, and I'd have to break up with you."

"We can't have that," I pulled back and shook my head.

"Nope, I like you a bit too much."

"You better," I leaned forward and kissed him slowly until his stomach rumbled. "Hungry?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then let's go eat," I climbed off his lap and held out a hand to pull him up off the couch.

"Then more make-up sex?" he asked like a child asking for ice cream for dessert.

"As memory serves, you _did_ make me a promise in the shower and I intend on holding you to it," I said as I pulled him along.

"If I recall, you made me one too."

"I did?" I couldn't remember. Really good sex screwed with my brain, it seemed.

"Well, it's kind of the same promise."

I stopped in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, and turned to face him. "You know, I'm glad we're back on the same side."

"Me too."

I stretched up to kiss him, and then it was time to eat. I was starving.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I suppose it's a good thing Jason is so dim and self-involved that he didn't put things together. It just occurred to me that Eric's hair must have been wet still when he came out of Sookie's bedroom, and yet Jason didn't seem to notice or question it. Lucky break there. Pam wouldn't have let it go, that's for damn sure. This, of course, will lead many of you to want to know why they're still hiding their relationship. Honestly, at this point, I think they should just come out with it too, but for whatever reason they still aren't quite ready to go public. It'll happen though. <strong>

**I tend to see this as one of the stupider fights a couple can have. It starts because one person is already in a shit mood, and rather than saying what's really going on, they end up fighting over something that doesn't matter. So yes, this was a stupid fight for them to have, but it happens all the time. The important thing is that they worked it out and made up. They're going to need to be able to do that later on in the story, and that fight won't be so little or stupid. Thanks for reading!**


	19. I Love You 'Til the End

**Oh hai thurr! Look what website is finally back up and running! About damn time...**

**Right, so this chapter was a bit of a landmark for Scribe and me. This was the first time either of us co-authored a lemon, and we worked on it simultaneously in gdocs. I kept waiting for Scribe to get all blushy faced on her end and tell me to finish it myself, but that didn't happen. We worked on it together and I think it came out pretty well. Hopefully you'll find Eric and Sookie to be a little less emotionally unstable in this chapter. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 19: I Love You 'Til the End<span>

"_I just want to tell you nothing you don't want to hear. All I want is for you to say why don't you just take me where I've never been before? I know you want to hear me catch my breath. I love you till the end." –the Pogues_

"Sleeping now," I batted Eric away from me. I had no idea what time it was, but it was Saturday morning and I wasn't ready to get up yet.

"Sexing now," he whispered.

"I'm sleeping, Eric," I snuggled into my pillow. He could wait his turn.

"Does this mean no sexing, or no sexing right now?"

"It means I'm sleeping," I grumbled and ignored the hand that was moving strategically all over me.

"Actually, you're talking to me," he pointed out just as his hand got to my boob.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" I squirmed a little. Damn traitor body.

"I can never get enough."

I groaned and rolled over. I yawned, but didn't open my eyes. "Okay, go for it."

It did the trick. He pulled back a bit. "Wait, what? I'm not just going to do it while you lay there. That's like fucking a corpse."

"So I can have sleepy time now?" I smiled at my little victory.

"If you're not going to participate, then yes."

"Okay," I rolled over again.

He huffed, and started shifting around in the bed.

"I'm not fucking you right now, Northman," I said in a serious tone.

Seriously, I just wasn't into it at the moment. We had been up late the night before because we both seemed to come down with a case of grabby hands and couldn't leave each other alone. I loved every second of it, but now I just wanted to sleep. I appreciated Eric's enthusiasm but damn. A girl needs her beauty sleep.

"Well it's hard to get comfortable with a boner," he whined.

"So go jerk off in the shower," I said in frustration.

"Fine, I will," he said, and to show that he wasn't really mad at me, he gave me a kiss on the cheek before going into the bathroom.

"Have fun, baby," I said sleepily but couldn't get myself to move.

He muttered something under his breath as he walked to the bathroom door, but I couldn't tell what it was. Eric left the bathroom door open and started the shower. I grabbed his pillow and put it over my head to drown out some of the noise. He was such a pouter whenever I shut him down, and since it didn't happen very often I didn't think he really had a reason to bitch about it.

I heard the shower door open and Eric step into it, followed shortly after by the sound of the body soap bottle opening. My mind went into overdrive, thinking about him pouring a palm full of soap into his hand and then wrapping that hand around the erection that had been pressed against my ass not more than four minutes before. Traitor thighs rubbed together and that horny little voice in my head told me I was letting a perfectly good erection go to waste.

I sighed, and turned over in bed. This wasn't fair. I wanted to sleep, dammit! It was St. Patrick's Day. That meant Eric was going to be busy at the bar, and since it was a holiday I had a perfectly acceptable reason to be there, too. I hadn't been to the bar in a couple of weeks. Not since Pam had gotten back, as a matter of fact. I had planned on pulling Eric into his office for a quickie later, but I was considering on jumping him in the shower instead.

His groans in the bathroom led me to wonder what he was thinking about and before I knew it, I was on my feet and headed for the bathroom. His eyes were closed and his arm was moving at a fast steady pace until suddenly his eyes popped open and he looked right at me.

"Change your mind?" he asked, slowing his stroking down.

"No," I said weakly and stayed there in the doorway.

"Okay then," he said, and closed his eyes again as he resumed his faster pace.

I probably should have turned around and walked out, but I couldn't get my body to listen to my brain's commands. It was a common fucking problem where Eric was concerned. I remained there in the doorway watching him, even though my view was obstructed by steam and the pattern of the glass door. It took a few minutes for me to realize that my hand had put itself between my thighs, and it took the sound of me gasping in order to notice it. Since Eric's eyes opened again, I wasn't the only one who heard it. Shit.

"Fuck, sweetheart," he groaned. "You look so hot."

I kept standing there in the doorway, casually leaning against the jamb, and brought my other hand up slowly to touch my breast. Eric opened his mouth but then shut it again when he saw me pinch my nipple, and I wondered if he had planned on giving me instructions.

"What else do you want me to do, Eric?" I turned so my back was against the door jamb, and kept my face turned toward him.

"Keep touching yourself," he panted.

My fingers moved a little faster and I asked, "Like this?"

"Yes," he said. "Pinch your nipples."

I did as he said, keeping my eyes on his and tried to mimic what he would do if it was his hands on me. I moaned loudly and closed my eyes. "What else, baby?" I licked my lips.

"Keep making noise, Sookie. Imagine it's my fingers touching you."

"Mmm..." my eyes closed and it wasn't hard to imagine. Lord knows it had happened plenty the night before.

"Fuck yourself with your fingers, baby," he ordered, panting even faster.

My fingers moved down a little further and I lifted one of my legs so my foot was pressed against the other side of the door jamb. I looked at Eric as my fingers slid inside me and I groaned loudly. "Mmm... feels so good," I moaned and watched him as my fingers began to thrust slowly.

"Jesus, Sookie, how close are you?" he asked.

"Not close enough," I gasped and rubbed my palm against my clit.

"Come here and let me help you," he said.

I shook my head. I wasn't moving from where I was standing, unless I fell flat on my ass—which at the moment seemed entirely possible.

"I need you to come with me, Sookie. You have to use both hands. Keep fucking yourself, and use the other to rub your clit." He was struggling to keep control of himself.

I did as he said and as a result my head smacked against the door jamb a little harder than was comfortable. I closed my eyes and thought about later, catching him at the right moment and dragging him back to his office. I cried out and when I heard him growl from the shower my eyes opened again and I looked at him through lashes that couldn't seem to get above the half open point.

"Closer," I groaned.

"Curl your fingers, Sookie," he ordered.

I did but that spot he was such a pro at finding was evading me, but then all of a sudden I found it and my knee started to buckle. "Ohmygod!" I shouted and kept going.

"Yes, that's it, keep going," he groaned, his hand pumping a lot faster.

"Eric!" I cried out and then the pressure inside me exploded. I gasped for air, my eyes fixed on him as the pleasure washed over me and my foot fell from where I had propped it up.

He called out my name just after I called out his and groaned as he came with me. He propped himself up against the shower wall as he lazily stroked himself, eying me like he wanted to devour me.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

I giggled quietly and pushed myself until I was standing upright. "I think so," I continued to lean on the door jamb just in case.

"Get your sexy ass in here then."

I managed to stagger over to the shower. Eric opened the door for me and pulled me in with him. I barely had both feet inside when his lips crashed down on mine. I moaned into his mouth and blindly reached for the door behind me.

"Eric, the door," I gasped when he let up for a second.

"Sorry," he said, and reached out to close it. "You are so fucking perfect."

"You're just saying that because you got your way... sort of..."

"Not really though," he said. "It was more like masturbating while watching the best porn ever."

I snorted and said, "I wouldn't call that porn, but if it works for you, that's all that matters."

"Oh, it worked for me. And you finally got your own g-spot!"

"Seems so," I reached for the soap but he took it from me.

"I should be sad about that, since you've always needed me to hit it before." He opened the soap and poured some into his hand.

"It does sort of render you obsolete," I sighed, and reached for the door, fighting my giggles. "It's been fun, Eric."

"I don't think so," he said, and pulled me back against him. "You may be able to hit it with your fingers, but nothing fills you like my cock."

"True... okay, I guess I'll keep you," I tilted my head back and smiled up at him.

"Good," he smiled. "Now let's get the dirty girl clean again."

We got cleaned up after that, keeping our hands moving at a respectable pace, although Eric took his time making sure my boobs were thoroughly clean. Since, you know, that was what had gotten dirtiest. Whatever, it was his consolation prize for having to get himself off—which, by the way, had been a lot sexier to watch than I had anticipated it would be, obviously.

After we finished up in the shower I paused at the sink to comb out of my hair and brush my teeth. I got dressed while Eric made the bed because that was just the way he was. While he dressed I went downstairs to start breakfast. I was planning to change later before going to the bar. The last thing I needed was to ruin the shirt I'd found since it was white. Knowing me, it was entirely possible.

Eric came downstairs while I was scrambling eggs and kissed the top of my head on his way to the fridge. "What time are you leaving for the bar?" I asked and poured the eggs into the skillet.

"I need to go as soon as I'm done eating."

"It's going to be a really, really long day..." I stirred the eggs around the pan. "And I'm taking a cab up there. I plan on getting silly drunk and letting you take advantage of my lucky charms later."

"_All _of your lucky charms?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I said without turning away from my pan of eggs.

"I must admit, there are some things I can't wait to experience with you."

"Such as?" I glanced over my shoulder to find his eyes fixed on my ass.

"Just... things. Things I've never done with anyone else."

"You won't tell me?" I pouted and reached to pour myself a cup of coffee. Dude didn't even drink coffee but he let me put a coffee maker on his counter. Although, he probably did it for self-preservation reasons; I was much easier to deal with in the morning when I had coffee in me.

"It's not something one brings up in polite morning conversation," Eric got really interested in his juice all of a sudden. Yeah, like that was going to stop me from guessing.

"Okay, now you're freaking me out. How bad can it be? You don't like, want to chain me to a wall and beat me, or something, do you?" I asked and he almost choked on his juice.

"Jesus, no," he sputtered. "I'm not into that hardcore shit."

"So then what's the problem?" I pulled the pan off the burner and went to get us plates.

"I wouldn't call it a problem," he said, his demeanor suddenly nervous.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me, but if you don't want to talk about it then we'll drop it," I offered and plated up the eggs. I handed one over to him and said, "But I'll be here whenever you decide you want to discuss it."

"Okay," he said, and set the plate aside. "I'll tell you, but you can't laugh."

"Oh God. You want to dress up like a clown, don't you?" I smirked and took a bite of my eggs.

"This is serious," he looked almost offended at my attempt to lighten things up.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get you to lighten up a little. I'll reel it in," I sat up straight and put on my less than stellar poker face.

"I want to fuck you," he said, then closed his eyes. "Somewhere... else."

"Umm... what does that mean, exactly? Like a different location besides my house or your house?" I didn't want to go assuming, but I was pretty sure I knew what he was getting at.

"I was thinking more like a different location on your body."

"Which location?" I took another bite of my eggs.

"You're really going to make me say it?" he asked.

"Eric, I don't know what you want, so unless you tell me I can't-"

"Iwanttofuckyouintheass," he blurted out quickly.

"Oh... that's it?" I admired the blush on his cheeks since it happened so infrequently.

"What do you mean 'that's it'? Have you done that before?"

"No," I set down my fork, "but you got so flustered I thought it was something bigger than that. That isn't an abnormal thing, I don't think."

"It isn't?"

"Do you really want a Greek history lesson right now?" I smirked and he rolled his eyes at me. "Eric, come on, lighten up! It's not that big of a deal, and it's something I'm willing to discuss."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up. "It's just... the only other girl I ever asked laughed in my face. She said I was too big to even be thinking about it."

"Well that was her," I shrugged and he looked slightly amazed. "Look, I know that if we start and it's too much for me that you'll stop, right?"

"Of course I would."

"Then I don't see the harm in trying," I picked up my fork again and speared my eggs. "Besides, it could be fun."

"You're awesome," he said, finally picking up his eggs again. "I feel like I say that to you a lot."

"I never get tired of hearing it," I smiled at him.

"So are we going to put a date on this, or just see what happens?"

"Did you have a date in mind?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"My birthday?" he suggested with a shrug. "I don't really know, it just seems like a special occasion thing."

"That could work. I don't really think we need a date, though. Maybe we should try it out before that to see if it'll be okay, that way you aren't disappointed on your birthday if it's a no dice situation?" I suggested.

"But if we can, then we'll do it then and it won't be as special on my birthday," he got his pout back. Oy with the poodles.

"I'm sure I can think of a way to make your birthday special, Eric," I took another bite of my eggs.

"So do you want to go try the ass fucking now?" he grinned at me.

I nearly choked at that and started coughing. When I was good to talk I said, "I don't think we have that kind of time, honey, and later won't work because I want to be sober for it. But another night we can do it."

Really, his request wasn't that big of a deal. I had thought about it before, but there was no way in hell I was going to go there with someone like Quinn, and as previously stated, Alcide was a little too on the vanilla side for something like that. I didn't really consider myself to be big on kink, but I trusted Eric enough to experiment a little.

"I was joking, Sookie," he chuckled.

"Good, because I wouldn't be bending on my answer there."

"I want to be able to devote a lot of uninterrupted time to it," he promised.

"I hope so since this isn't something you can just put a rush on. That other girl's method was all wrong, but she was right when she said you're too big," I took a drink of my coffee.

"Do you think I'll be too big to go through with it?"

"I guess we'll find out," I smiled at him, and took the last bite of my eggs.

"It would really suck if it turns out that I'm just too big for you to enjoy it," he pouted.

"We won't know until we try. We'll just wait and see how it goes," I got up and took my plate to the sink to rinse it and put it in the dishwasher. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about trying?"

"Umm, let me think," he said, and took a big bite of eggs.

"Well, if you think of anything just let me know," I grabbed the frying pan off the stove and washed that too.

"Aha, I've got it," he said, and quickly ate the last couple bites on his plate. "I really, really want to fuck you, on a beach."

I laughed and said, "We already established that, sweetie."

"Well maybe I can have that for my birthday," he suggested.

"We established that, too," I smiled at him and took his plate. "Is your memory going in your old age? Is that what happens when you turn thirty?"

"Did we establish that?" he asked. "And I'm not old."

"Yes we did, while we were still in Mexico and you didn't get your beach sex then. And you're a little old. Older than me, anyway," I teased him.

"Not much," he grumbled.

"Are you seriously pouting right now?" I asked, even though he obviously was.

"Sorry, I promise I'll stop with the insecurity shit soon."

"Yes please. I wish you saw you the way _I_ see you," I shook my head and closed the dishwasher.

"I wish I did too."

I hugged him tightly and said, "I'll meet you at the bar around six. Sound good? I can come earlier if you want. My big plan is to take a nap this afternoon."

"Come whenever you want," he said, hugging me back. "There's a higher chance of a quickie if you come earlier."

Mind reader.

"I'll text you when I'm on my way," I stretched up and kissed him. "Have a good day at work."

"You have a good nap," he said. "See you soon."

**oOoOoOo**

At just after five I sent Eric a text to let him know I was on my way. I'd changed clothes into something more appropriate for the festivities sure to be going on at the bar. It only took about ten minutes to get to the bar, and the cabbies were extra kind since it was likely to be a lucrative day for them. I stepped out of the cab and went into the bar.

"Hey, Jamie, have you seen Eric?" I asked the hostess.

"He's back in his office. He gave specific instructions that he didn't want to be disturbed unless the bar was on fire," she smirked.

"Yeah, well, he'll get over it," I shrugged and headed back toward his office. When I got there I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer me.

"Is the bar on fire?"

I just knocked again instead of answering him, and waited to see how long it would be before he got up and answered the door instead of yelling.

A moment later, the door whipped open, but when he saw it was me he broke into a grin and pulled me inside. "I'm so glad it's you. I've been acting pissy all day so people will stay away from me."

"Yeah I got that. Jamie looked like she was afraid for my life, but I can handle you," I smirked and played along. He didn't need to know Jamie didn't buy into his act. I unbuttoned my coat so he could see my shirt. "What do you think?" I gestured to my chest.

"You're going to be wearing that... all night?"

I was wearing a tight white t-shirt with a couple of beer glasses that had shamrocks scattered around them and the words 'love is big Irish jugs' printed on my chest.

I looked down and said, "Yep. It was either a shirt about my Irish jugs or people staring at my shamrocks, but since you're such a fan of the girls..."

"Other men are going to be trying to grab them all night long."

"Ooooh I _dare _them to try," I laughed.

"I do too," he grinned. "I'd love to throw someone out tonight."

"I'm sure you'll get your chance," I kissed his cheek. "How are things going so far?"

"Really well, actually. I'm so caught up that I have plenty of time to fuck my girlfriend on my desk."

"Hmmm... want me to leave so you can get to it? There are shots of whiskey calling my name," I went over and sat on the edge of his desk.

"I think you should just focus on removing your clothing," he said as he stared me down with that hungry look in his eyes.

"Is that an order?" I asked as he came toward me.

"Only if you want it to be. I actually find fucking with clothes on to be hotter than nudity sometimes."

"I would agree with that," I said, recalling the quickie on the couch that day when Pam called him in. "Besides, she who shall not be named has a tendency to just walk in whenever she feels like it, and I know you don't want her to see me naked."

"Ahh, but that is why I locked the door."

"Before we get too frisky, I _did_ bring you something," I grinned and hopped off his desk to get his present from my purse.

"Oh really?"

"Yep. You need to ditch the sweatervest for tonight," I said and pulled out the t-shirt I'd gotten him.

"Ha! This is hilarious," he laughed at the white t-shirt with the leprechaun named Boob McFeely on the front of it. "Thank you. Will you put it on me?"

"Sure. Strip," I grinned at him.

"Anything for you," he smiled, and did as I asked.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm... you know, maybe you should just stay shirtless," I looked him up and down.

"Should I? Do you like my body or something?"

"Ummm, duh."

"What do you like about it?" he asked.

"I'm guessing you want something more specific than 'everything,' right?"

"Yes."

"You have amazing abs," I licked my lips and stared at them.

"Yeah? Would you like to feel them?"

"Maybe later. Arms up," I held up his t-shirt.

He held his arms up and I helped put his new shirt on him. He looked a little ridiculous in it, but still sexy. He really needed to embrace t-shirts.

"So, Boob McFeely, fancy a grope?" I leaned into him a little.

"Why yes, I do believe I would," he grinned, and helped himself.

"You really need to wear more t-shirts. They do great things for your arms," I smiled at him.

"You just like being able to see my muscles."

"Yes I do. They're very fun to look at," I nodded.

"You know what else is fun to look at?" he asked.

"I'm sure you'll tell me," I sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Your boobs," he grinned.

"Get enough whiskey in me and I'm sure I'll be flashing them in the bar," I snickered, and his face fell.

"I should hope not."

"I was kidding, Eric. You're the only one with boob privileges," I assured him.

"Good," he grinned. "Now should we bang this out?"

"You're really not going to let this go, are you?"

"Let what go? Having a quickie?"

"Yes."

"Nope. I want you, and I want you to be thinking of me all night, and we only have about thirty more minutes before Pam comes to bug me."

"Honey, thirty minutes is..." I trailed off before he got it in his head to try and set a record for how many times he _could _bang me in thirty minutes.

"Just enough time to fuck you at least twice," he smiled as he messed with the hem of my shirt.

"I think once is enough," I sat forward so he could pull my shirt off. So much for fucking with our clothes on.

"Once is never enough."

"Greedy," I said as he pulled me out of the chair and unbuttoned my jeans.

"It's not greed; it's need."

I shook my head as he pushed my jeans down over my hips and asked, "And what did you do before you and I started sleeping together?"

"I... I don't like to think about that time in my life," he sighed dramatically. "It was... awful."

"Oh yeah, I seem to recall you suffering," I snorted as Eric turned me around so I was facing his desk.

"But I don't anymore," he growled into my ear.

"Unless I put my clothes back on and leave," I bent over the desk.

"Do you really, really want to do that?" he asked, grinding his hips into my ass.

I moaned and said, "I think I'll wait until after you fuck me."

"Smart girl," he said.

My panties came down, but only made it to mid-thigh. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Eric shift the chair behind me and then take a seat. "I can't have you pouting all night," I smiled at him.

"I want you to fuck me," he said. "But first, I'm going to have my favorite treat."

Eric leaned in and kissed the back of my thigh. He gently parted my legs as far as they would go with my jeans restricting my movement like they did. Since we were working on a time crunch, Eric didn't spend too much time lingering like he usually would, and instead got down to business pretty quickly. He groaned against my lower lips and pulled back quickly.

"You were thinking dirty thoughts again, sweetheart. You're already wet," his hands massaged my ass. "What were you thinking about?"

"Being bent over your desk like I am now," I arched my back a little.

"What else?" he asked as his fingers parted my folds and teased my entrance.

"You fucking me hard from behind, pulling my hair and slapping my ass," I moaned and his finger slid into me. He twisted it a few times with each stroke and then pulled it out, only to move it up to my ass.

"I can't wait to fuck you here, sweetheart," he kissed my right cheek and slapped the left.

"Oh God," I put my head down.

The finger covered in my juices slipped between my cheeks and pressed against my other entrance, but didn't penetrate it. Eric's lips moved over to my left cheek, and his hand came down on the right one. I whimpered a little, but not because of the pain.

"Eric, please," I moaned.

"I haven't even started yet, Sookie," he moved his finger back down and pushed it inside me again.

"We have to hurry," I reminded him.

"I'll fuck you when I'm ready," he said and then worked a second finger into me.

I bit my lip to try and keep quiet, but it didn't take long before I was covering my mouth entirely to stifle my moans. Eric was a master when it came to orally pleasuring me. He knew all the right buttons to push, and in what order. He knew when to go at me full throttle and when to back off and by the time I came, I was pretty sure I was going to lose my mind.

My muscles were still fluttering from my orgasm when I heard his zipper lower, and then felt the head of his extremely hard cock pressing against my entrance. He grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head up off the desk. He wasn't too rough, but it was enough to make me gasp. He leaned over me and kissed me roughly, his tongue lashing mine into submission almost immediately.

He moved his cock so it rubbed back and forth along my slit, making sure to press against my clit a few times. By the time he finally pushed inside me he slid right in, thanks to how hard I'd come the first time. He didn't give me time to adjust like he usually did, and instead started to fuck me fast just like I had been thinking about. His left hand was still tangled in my hair, and his right hand slapped my ass again.

"Oh Jesus," I moaned but was too busy holding onto the desk to cover my mouth.

"Want more, Sookie?" he growled and grunted as he pounded into me. "You like being spanked like a naughty little girl, don't you?"

"Yes," I whimpered, and he slapped my ass twice. My muscles clenched around his cock.

"Don't come yet," he told me and then pushed my head down. He bent over me and whispered, "I want to know that you'll be spending the rest of the night sitting in my bar with my come in your panties. I want you to feel it every time you move, and when we get home tonight I'm not even going to wait until we get upstairs before I strip you naked and fuck you."

Oh sweet Mary, mother of God.

The best part was that I knew he meant it. He would do every single one of the things he was promising me. With Eric it was never an 'if' I needed to worry about; it was always a matter of 'when.' Frankly, I was fine with what he had planned. I didn't mind him taking control of me and telling me what he wanted, or where he wanted me. I didn't mind that he got a little rough because he never took it too far, nor did he keep pushing when I made it clear I wasn't interested.

"Soon, sweetheart," he continued, "I'm going to put my cock here," he touched my other entrance again.

He was really into the concept of anal sex all of a sudden. I wondered if that was something he had been thinking about for a while. It had to be if he was so consumed with the thought of it. I was willing to try it, and at least be open-minded, but I didn't know how I was going to feel about it until it was done.

"Are you close yet, Sookie?" he bit my shoulder lightly and I moaned.

"Yes," I gasped for air and tried to back my ass up to meet his thrusts.

He let go of my hair and grabbed my hips with both hands. He slowed his thrusts a little, controlling how much I could move to get more of him. Eric was way too good at getting me all worked up just to back off. I loved and hated him for it.

"Not yet," he said when my muscles started to flutter around his cock.

"I'm so close, Eric," I put my down on the desk.

Much to my surprise he reached around me and started to rub my clit. Maybe he was having a little mercy on me after all. But then his hips started moving faster again, fucking me hard enough that his desk was starting to skitter a little underneath me. Before I could even think about trying to stop it from happening, all control was lost and I came hard. So hard that I used both hands to muffle the scream that was trying to alert the entire village of Schaumburg that I was having an orgasm.

Eric growled in satisfaction, and four thrusts later he was muffling his own noises by sucking on my shoulder. I felt his hot release shoot deep inside me, and the shudders of his body as his high washed over him. He pressed gentle kisses along my shoulder and my spine. He pulled out of me and then quickly pulled up my panties and jeans for me.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he stood me up and turned my face to kiss me.

"Mmhmm…" I said in that dazed way. I needed to sit down before I fell down.

Eric pulled me backward with him until we fell on the couch. He tucked his cock back into his pants and zipped up. I rested my head on his chest and when my thighs rubbed together, an aftershock rippled through me. I moaned quietly and draped an arm over his stomach.

"Best quickie ever," he said with a hint of smugness.

"Mmhmm…" I agreed.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"Mmhmm…"

"Can you say anything other than that?" he kissed the top of my head.

"My panties are wet?" I offered and he laughed before tilting my face up and kissing me again.

**oOoOoOo**

Three hours later I was parked in Eric's booth in the bar with my brother, who had come up to celebrate the holiday as well. Jason became a regular when he realized he was able to eat and drink on the house. A few of Jason's other friends showed up, so he ditched me to go hang out with them for a while, but that was fine with me. I was tired of hearing about his upcoming travel schedule.

For the last five years he was a trainer that traveled with the Cubs during baseball season, and since opening day was coming up soon it meant Jason was back on the clock. He had spent some time in Arizona during spring training, and it dawned on me then why being married to Jason might be perfect for Pam. Yes the two of them loved each other, but knowing that Jason could really only be a part-time husband had to be somewhat of a bonus. Not to mention, it seemed to me that my brother was okay with Pam having her fun on the side as long as it wasn't with another dude.

Frankly, I didn't understand that. I didn't know what the future held for Eric and me, but I knew for damn sure there would be no fun for him on the side, not that I thought he would want that. I was equally sure there wouldn't be any fun for me on the side either, but I was more than fine with that. To me, marriage meant you were supposed to only be with one person. I wasn't knocking Jason and Pam's way of living, but it wasn't for me. And God help any man who so much as looked at me like he was _thinking_ about touching me in Eric's presence. That jealous streak was no joke.

I could handle the jealousy because it didn't bleed into our everyday lives. He didn't try to control who I spent time with, or who my friends were. Eric didn't try to pick out my clothes (unless it was lingerie), or tell me where to be and when. I didn't feel like I was restricted in any way, which was something different for me, if I was being completely honest. It wasn't that I had dated nothing but control freaks in the past, but it always felt like I was giving up a piece of myself in order to be with whoever I was dating.

Yes, I'd get sad after a breakup, but it was usually shortly followed by a feeling of freedom, like I could go back to my own life. I realized, as I was sitting there in the booth watching Eric behind the bar across the room, that the reason I felt differently this time was because my life was already intertwined with Eric's. Even if things between us didn't work out we were still going to be a part of each other's lives. My brother was married to his sister. It was hard to imagine Pam having a baby, but if she did, I was going to be there for it, and so would Eric.

I wouldn't be able to escape him, not that I wanted to. I couldn't recall ever feeling like I wanted to be around someone all the time the way I did with him. Sure there were moments when I wanted my space, and a little time to myself, but generally speaking I always wanted him around. We had fun just hanging out together doing dorky things, or making each other laugh. We could play together, which was something new for me, too.

All of a sudden he looked over at me and smiled and that was when it hit me… I was in love with him. It had been on the edge of my consciousness for a while, but in that moment, the way he smiled at me, I knew it. I loved him. I loved him hard. My cheeks flushed and I'm sure the thoughts racing through his mind were very different from the ones in mine, seeing as how I was thinking about love and he was probably thinking about my underwear, but that only made me smile back at him.

As if she knew I was supremely happy, Pam suddenly lodged herself between Eric and me, cutting off my view of him. "Hello, Sookie," she purred in that dangerous tone that told me she was up to something.

"Hey, Pam, how're things over in the dining room?" I was a little flustered. Between my epiphany and Pam's intimidating presence, I had a lot on my mind.

"Eh," she waved it off and then took a seat across from me, her expression letting me know she definitely had something on her mind.

"Something you want to talk about, Pam?" I reached for my green beer and drank a little faster than I probably should. Where was that damn Jamison when I needed it?

"You know, it's the funniest thing… a friend of mine sent me some of the pictures she took at the reception," Pam started and then took my beer from me to finish it off. I lifted an eyebrow and she continued, "I didn't notice it right away, but it seems one of my bridesmaids was getting a little action during my party."

"Really?" I asked and my stupid cheeks started to turn on me. Those jerks. "Who was it?"

Pam smirked and said, "I think you know."

"Pam, I have no idea-"

"You were the only one in a pink dress, and the only groomsman that tall is Eric. So spill it," Pam demanded.

"Pam, I really don't know what you're talking about," I insisted. I hadn't seen the picture and for all I knew she was lying.

"Sookie, you might be able to pull the wool over my tender headed husband's eyes, but I don't believe for one second that Eric was hanging an organizer in your closet while you were in the shower. I've seen your closet," Pam reminded me, "so why not just tell the truth?"

I sat there contemplating what to say. My gut told me to look in Eric's direction because just looking at him would give me all the information I needed to know what to say to Pam. Part of me said it was stupid to keep hiding it, and the other part of me liked the idea of screwing with Pam for a little while longer. It would serve her right to be the last one to know, even though she had already figured it out.

Fuck! What was I going to do? The more I squirmed the more I was sure Pam thought she had me, but I was briefly reminded that I had a little something extra going on in my underwear and I couldn't help but look over at Eric. Only he wasn't at the bar anymore.

Oh hell. I had a fuck awful poker face and Pam knew it. It was only a matter of time before I cracked and told her everything just so she'd leave me the fuck alone. Thankfully for me, Eric appeared like the knight in shining armor he was, and sat down next to me in the booth.

"Pam, why are you terrorizing Sookie?" Eric grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed gently. I refused to smile but I felt a fuck ton better.

"I'm not terrorizing her. We're just having a little girl talk," Pam said in that sickeningly sweet tone she used whenever she was guilty of whatever she had been accused of doing.

"Girl talk to you means an interrogation 90% of the time," he rolled his eyes.

Pam looked back and forth between us and said, "We'll talk again soon, Sookie."

"See you later," I waved her off and hoped I'd have some sort of buffer or my loose, drunken lips were going to sink my ship.

"What was she trying to get out of you?"

"She says she has a picture of us kissing at her reception," I told him.

"How is that possible? We didn't kiss at the reception, did we?"

"Uh, yeah, we did. Remember after you cut in on Sam and pulled me behind that big potted plant? Apparently someone caught us then."

"Shit."

"She didn't show me the picture so for all I know she was making it up. Come to think of it, all the proof she even had that it was us was that the girl was wearing a pink dress and the guy was tall," I shrugged, but I didn't believe for a second that Pam was making it up.

"There's no way she's making it up. Pam doesn't confront anyone without solid cards in her deck."

"Well, I didn't confirm she was right since I didn't know how you'd feel about it," I shifted a little. "And she didn't buy that lame ass organizer story I came up with either the night Jason showed up at my house."

"It's delaying the inevitable, isn't it?" he sighed.

"Yeah, I think so," I sighed and felt like banging my head against the table.

"Don't think about it now. We don't have to tell her anything," he said. "When we go public to our friends and family, it'll be on our terms, not theirs."

"In the meantime, Pam'll be harassing me every chance she gets," I groaned. "I need more liquor."

Eric leaned over and kissed my temple and I was reminded of my earlier revelation. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what I'd figured out, but knew it was the wrong time. I was slightly intoxicated and I didn't want him thinking it was just some stupid thing I said when I was drunk. Since I couldn't tell him how I felt just then I nudged him out of the booth.

"Come on," I grabbed his hand and tugged him through the crowd, heading for his office.

"Why are we going to my office?"

I didn't answer, I just kept pulling him along. Eric unlocked the door when we got there and gestured for me to walk ahead of him. I stepped inside and he followed. Before he could ask me any other questions I pushed him up against the door and kissed him in a way I never had before. I wanted to see if he would notice anything different, and it was strange how I wasn't sure if I wanted him to notice it or not.

"I just needed to do that," I said when we pulled apart.

"What was that?" he asked, a little starry-eyed.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I just wanted to and I couldn't do that out in the bar without raising a few eyebrows."

"No, there was something different about it," he said. "I can't... nevermind."

Well, I had my answer. Eric definitely noticed. Now if only I could get the words to come out of my mouth, I'd be in much better shape.

"I just needed to kiss you, that's all," I moved my hands away from his face.

"Feel free to do that anytime," he grinned.

"I'll remember that," I smiled back, but inside I knew I was screwed. For the time being, those kisses were going to have to do what my words couldn't.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, before y'all jump all over Sookie for not coming right out with her revelation, just keep in mind that she knows him as a commitmentphobe who runs from every girl who tells him she loves him. He hasn't done well in relationships prior to this and she's a little freaked out that she's going to scare him off. And the time for them to come clean with their friends and family is approaching as well. It'll happen, there are just a few other things that we thought should happen first. There's a plan here, I promise. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	20. Two Princes

**Okay, angst babies, I feel that I must warn you there will be some rough stuff here. Scribe and I will be going into hiding promptly after posting this chapter and will resurface after the angst passes. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 20: Two Princes<span>

"_I know what a prince and lover ought to be. Said if you want to call me baby just go ahead now. And if you like to tell me maybe just go ahead now." –Spin Doctors_

"So you didn't tell him?" Elle asked as she picked at her salad.

"Tell my boyfriend, the commitmentphobe that I'm in love with him?" I stabbed a piece of cucumber and said, "No, no, I didn't tell him. In fact, I tried to convince myself that it was just some crazy notion thanks to too much green beer and a post-orgasmic brainfart."

Elle chuckled and popped a cherry tomato in her mouth, thinking as she chewed. "You know if you keep coddling him on this commitment thing he's going to keep dragging it out. I'm all for being patient, but he needs to respect your feelings too. He knew how you are before you starting bumping uglies in Mexico."

What Elle said made sense. In a lot of ways I wasn't doing Eric any favors by keeping this from him. He deserved to know how I felt. I had been holding it in for the last two weeks and it was getting harder and harder not to say it. We had been seeing each other for almost three months. Maybe I had fallen for him quickly, but I reminded myself that the rules were different with him. He wasn't some strange guy I met on the street. We had ten years together as friends before we started dating and that counted for a lot.

"I'm just afraid he'll freak out and run away," I sighed, knowing that was a real possibility.

"Sookie he's had ten years to get to know you. He's your friend, if nothing else. If he runs because you tell him you love him…" Elle trailed off.

"What?" I wanted to hear the rest.

"That's just really disrespectful to you," Elle was holding back, I could tell. "And it's a bitch move." Now _that_ was Elle.

There was a part of me that wished my revelation had stayed buried in my subconscious for just a little while longer, but there was no unthinking it. Now that I knew how I felt, there was no getting rid of it either. It was so fucking hard not to tell him I loved him before we went to sleep at night, or before I left for work in the morning, or in some silly text message when he said something that made me laugh. I hated having to hold it in, but I knew telling him was going to make him freak out.

"All I'm saying is that if he wants to be with you, he needs to get over himself a little. A relationship is about two people. Don't be a doormat about this," Elle advised and then rather savagely chomped on a piece of chicken.

"You're right," I sighed and set my salad down on her desk.

"You're going to keep it to yourself, aren't you?" she shook her head. "It's a mistake, Sookie, but it's your decision."

With my appetite officially gone and my well of words run dry, I just sat there and listened while she regaled me with tales of sexcapades with her boyfriend over the weekend. If nothing else, Elle really knew how to tell a story, and in spite of how much I didn't want to laugh, I couldn't help myself. I was damn near in tears by the time I left her office to get back to work. I deposited what was left of my salad in the trash, got a glass of water and went back to my desk.

I was answering an email from a store manager in Pennsylvania when my cell phone buzzed on the desk beside me. I looked over to see JB's name on my caller ID, which was kind of strange since he almost never called me anymore. It could also be Tara using his phone since she was experiencing serious pregnancy brain and was forever misplacing her own phone, or forgetting to plug it in. I grabbed the phone and answered.

"Hey, JB, what's up?" I asked and sat back in my chair.

"Tara's in the hospital. She started having contractions this morning," JB told me in a panic.

"Oh, well, did they give her medication to stop it?" I asked.

"Her water broke, Sook," he said and I lurched forward.

"It did?" I didn't know if I should be excited or scared. It was early, but I knew twins usually came a little earlier than just one baby. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She's going in for a c-section in a little bit. Baby B hasn't turned so they want to just cut them out. She's really freaking out, Sook," he told me.

"Okay, okay, um, let me talk to my boss and see if I can get out of here early. I'll get there as soon as I can," I promised him.

"We're at Resurrection," he said as if I didn't already know that.

"Okay. I'll text you when I'm on my way," I said and hung up as I stood and headed for Elle's office. She was typing away at her computer and I knocked on her door to get her attention.

"What's up, Sookie?" she asked without looking away from her screen.

"Tara is being taken in for an emergency c-section. Do you mind if I cut out of here early? I'll work from home later on," I promised.

"That's fine. Let me know how things go," Elle waved me off.

"Thank you!" I called and took off running.

I had my computer shut down in record time, and I was out the door within ten minutes. I knew it was going take at least forty-five minutes to get to Resurrection all the way from my office, but there was nothing to be done about it. I sent a text to JB letting him know I was on my way, and then I called Eric. He didn't pick up, but if he was busy at the bar I wouldn't expect him to.

"Hey, baby, it's me. Listen, JB just called a few minutes ago. Tara's water broke so she's having a c-section this afternoon. I'm on my way to Res if you want to come up and meet the kiddos. I'll talk to you later," I said and hung up.

Finding parking at Resurrection was a bit of a nightmare, but I managed to find a space way out in the boonies. When I got up to the maternity floor I stopped at the nurse's station to ask where Tara's room was since I hadn't heard anything back from JB. I was told Tara had been taken to deliver, and I was shown to the waiting room. I hung up my jacket and set my purse down on one of the chairs near a bank of windows. It was a pretty day outside, and the weather was finally starting to creep up toward spring-like temperatures.

I thought about the things Elle had said over lunch, and just how much my relationship with Eric had changed in the last couple of months. In a lot of ways it was hard to believe we had only been a couple for less than three months. The funny thing was that there really wasn't much of an adjustment to make. I had to change my way of thinking when it came to Eric, but the way we interacted with each other wasn't very different if you didn't count the sex. Sleeping together was the biggest adjustment, but even that had been easy to get used to.

In my mind I tried to play out all the ways things could go down if I told Eric how I felt. Of course I wanted him to tell me it was okay, that he loved me back and I had been worrying for nothing. But that was never going to happen. My gut told me that as close as we had become, and as well as we were doing, Eric just wasn't ready to face up to a mature relationship quite yet. He was comfortable hiding out with me, and as I stood looking out the window onto the busy streets below, I realized I wasn't. I didn't want to hide us.

I wanted to be able to tell people that he was my boyfriend. I didn't want to worry about getting caught or feeling like I had to justify my decision to date him. He had said we would come out when _we_ were ready, but it felt like I was keeping us a secret for him. We were hiding because _he_ wasn't ready. I just had sat down when my phone rang, sending AC/DC screeching through the room. I blushed and fumbled to get my phone. I really needed to change Eric's ringtone to something less abrasive.

"Hey, did you get my message?" I asked quietly when I answered.

"Yeah, I'm downstairs. Where am I going?" he asked and I gave him directions on how to find me.

We hung up and I went to wait for him at the elevators. I paced back and forth while I waited, unsure if I was nervous for Tara, or if I was nervous about seeing Eric in the wake of the conversation I'd had with Elle. The elevator doors opened and I turned to see Eric standing there, looking to make sure he was on the right floor.

"Hey," I smiled at him.

"Hey, any word?"

"She's in surgery right now," I walked over and hugged him. "You didn't have to drop everything and come here, but thank you for coming."

"You sounded really worried," he said, and began rubbing my back in a soothing motion.

"Well, the doctors tried to stop her labor but her water broke anyway. I know twins come earlier, but this is a little earlier than usual," I sighed and concentrated on the sound of his heartbeat. "But Tara's tough; I'm sure she'll be fine."

"She's very tough, and babies are strong. I read this article once about a baby that was born at a pound and survived."

"Oh God," I cringed. "I don't want to think about Tara's babies being that tiny. Babies are supposed to be chubby and huggable, not hooked up to IVs and feeding tubes."

"Did you see how big Tara was getting? I'm sure they'll be just fine."

"Yeah but that's a lot of fluid retention," I sighed and Eric squeezed me a little tighter. "I just don't want the babies to end up stuck here. It would break Tara's heart."

"Then think positive, sweetheart. Everything is going to be just fine."

"I hope so," I pulled back. "Wanna go make faces at the other babies while we wait?"

"Sure," he obliged with a smile.

We walked down the hall together and were just getting to the nursery when I heard JB calling out to me from behind. I turned and felt immediate relief when I saw the enormous smile on his face. Everything had to be okay if he was smiling like that, right?

"How'd it go?" I asked and was swept up in a huge hug.

"They're perfect. Two boys, twenty fingers and twenty toes. They're a little small but we expected that. Tara's doing fine and she told me to tell you she expects the world's biggest chocolate milkshake and a large order of fries to dip in it," JB set me down and then moved over to hug Eric.

"That's great, JB, I'm so happy for you!" I smiled at him.

"Congrats, man," Eric said, smiling broadly at him.

"Got pictures?" I asked hopefully.

"They wouldn't let me bring a camera in the delivery room, if you can believe that, but as soon as the docs are done looking the boys over they'll be coming out to the nursery while they sew Tara up," he explained, and I could feel the energy radiating off of him. "I'll tell Tara you're here, but I should get back. We'll see you in a little bit."

"We'll be here," I promised and leaned into Eric when he put his arm around me. "Thank God everyone's okay."

"Do you need us to get anything for you?" Eric asked him.

"Just that milkshake and fries, otherwise we're all good," JB was grinning from ear to ear.

"Go tell my best friend congratulations for me," I waved and JB took off down the hall. "Okay I can breathe now."

"Feel better?" Eric asked.

"Tons," I turned and looked into the window of the nursery. "I can wait to see the babies!"

"I think it'll be a minute before they get in there, so why don't we head to the gift shop to buy some blue bubblegum cigars?"

"Oh! Yes! Let's do that!" I slipped my coat on despite how warm it was in the hospital, and we headed to the elevators. "I'm so glad you're here," I bounced up and kissed his cheek while we waited.

"I'm glad I'm here too," he said. "Should we get them balloons too? Balloons are kind of not fun though, because they just end up deflating."

"I like balloons," I grinned as the elevator doors opened. "Just don't let me buy out the place. I plan on spoiling those kids rotten, just not all at once."

"They just came into the world, Sookie. Give them time to appreciate this stuff."

"I know! Which is why I'm putting you in charge of dragging me out of there before I buy every stuffed animal they have," I leaned against the elevator wall.

"I will take this duty seriously."

"Please do," I reached for his hand when the elevator door opened. "Okay, which direction do we go?" I looked for a sign that would point us to where we needed to be.

"I think it's near the entrance."

"Then left it is," I said right before spotting the sign that confirmed it.

We walked in that direction and as soon as we got to the window of the gift shop, I was a puddle of new baby mush. Everything was adorable. Eric definitely had his work cut out for him.

"Look at the little piggy!" I pointed and he tugged me inside.

"Just the bubblegum cigars, Sookie."

"But it's so cute," I pouted and then started toward a small display of stuffed animals that were screaming for my attention... and money.

"Okay, you can buy two stuffed animals, and that's it. One for each baby. And I'll get the cigars."

"Yes sir," I bounced my way over to the animals and perused what was available. I refused to buy them two of the same thing. I thought that was just mean. Just because they were twins didn't mean they had the same identity.

Making a decision was _way_ harder than it should have been, but all of the little animals were so soft and cute. Ugh. My ovaries were in an uproar, and I imagined it was only going to get worse when I saw Eric with one of those babies. I needed to get my shit together.

I had a half a dozen little animals in my arms when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned and said, "I'm not buying all of them, I promise."

"Then why are you holding them?"

"I'm still deciding," I shrugged.

"Sookie," he sighed. "They're not going to care."

"Well I do," I narrowed my eyes at him and then looked down at the small menagerie I was holding. "I'm tempted to buy one of these little lambs for myself."

"Why? You're not having kids anytime soon."

My head jerked up and I said, "I know that. I just think it's cute."

I put all the stuffed animals back on the shelves and started to walk away from him. Without intending to, Eric had rubbed salt in a wound that I really didn't want to deal with at the moment. I wanted to be happy for my best friend, not argue over whether or not Eric knew what he wanted.

"What are you doing, I thought you wanted to get them a stuffed animal?"

"Never mind. Let's just get the cigars and go back upstairs," I stared at a display of crossword puzzles and word searches like they were the most interesting things I'd ever seen.

"What just happened?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing. You were just doing your job. Get your cigars."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I asked you to do something for me and you did. Now would you please go get your cigars?" I didn't look away from the display. If I looked at him I would either going to start yelling or crying. Either way, it wouldn't be pretty.

"The deal was for you to get two, and now you're getting none. You were so excited a minute ago that you were bouncing, and now you won't even look at me. Stop being stubborn and tell me what the heck I did."

"Now isn't the time. I'll be outside," I said and walked away from him.

I walked out of the gift shop and went around the corner to catch my breath. I needed to calm down before he came out of the gift shop or we were going to have a problem in the elevator. Truthfully, my roller coaster-like emotions were only partially his fault. Elle was right about holding things back, and it was slowly eating away at me.

Eric came around the corner a minute later with a gift bag and handed it to me. "Here," he said, not looking me in the eye.

"What's this?" I asked without opening the bag.

"Just look inside," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I sighed heavily and opened the bag. There were two boxes of candy cigars and three stuffed animals... an owl, a frog and... oh my God. "You bought the lamb?" I looked up at him.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "You said you wanted one."

"Yeah," I looked down and blinked back the damn tears that decided they needed an immediate outlet. Dammit, why did he have to go and do the perfect thing like that? It was so sweet of him, and yet it angered me at the same time. I closed the bag and said, "Thanks. We should get back upstairs."

"Are we okay?" he asked.

"I don't really know how to answer that right now," I said quietly, meaning for it be under my breath, but of course Eric heard me.

"Wait, why?" he asked, suddenly looking panicked.

"What?" I played dumb, like I hadn't said anything at all, and pushed the button for the elevator to take us back upstairs. Eric stuck his hand out to stop the door, and stepped out of the elevator. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting the sense that you need a minute away from me, so I'm just going to go get that shake and fries for Tara. I'll be right back."

"Eric..." I sighed but he just shook his head and walked off.

The elevator door closed and then opened again when I was back on the maternity floor. I stopped at the nurse's station again to find out which room Tara was in, and was directed down the hall and to my right. Her name was labeled on the door and I knocked before going inside. JB was sitting in one of the chairs with a tiny white bundle in his arms.

"Can I come in?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Tara if she was asleep.

"Sookie Stackhouse get in here right now," Tara ordered from behind the privacy curtain.

I grinned and walked into the room on my tip toes. I peeked around the curtain and Tara had one of the babies resting on her chest. He was small, but not nearly as tiny as I had feared he would be. Maybe Eric was right after all.

"Oh honey, I'm so happy for you!" I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "And who is this handsome little man?"

"This is Gavin," Tara traced her finger over the top of the sleeping baby's head.

"And this is Zachary," JB walked over with the other baby.

"Are they identical?" I asked since it was hard to tell.

"No, they're not. Zachary has dark hair and Gavin's has a reddish tint to it," Tara told me.

"We're not sure where the red comes from," JB didn't even look up from his son.

"Your Great Aunt Ruby had red hair," I recalled and Tara snickered.

"That was from a bottle, Sook," she smiled.

"Oh," I pursed my lips for a minute.

"Want to hold one?" Tara asked and I nodded quickly. "Where's Eric?"

"He's on milkshake and fry detail," I set down the bag of goodies I was holding.

"What's in the bag?" JB asked.

"Well, it's mostly for you guys," I said and pulled the boxes of cigars out and handed them to JB, who was immediately grinning like a fool.

"Oh, this is awesome. Thank you," he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Those were Eric's idea. You can thank him when he gets back," I patted his shoulder. "Probably not with a kiss, though."

I reached into the bag and intentionally didn't touch the lamb. I didn't even want to look at it, at the moment. I pulled out the owl and the frog, impressed with his choices since those were the ones I would have picked if I wouldn't have had my mini tantrum in the gift shop.

"And these are for the babies," I pulled the animals from the bag.

"Oh, Sook," Tara's eyes welled up and before I knew it, she was bawling hysterically. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No, honey, it's okay," I set the animals down.

"Here," she offered me little Gavin and I eagerly took him.

"He's so small!" I gushed and when I touched his little palm his fist wrapped around my finger. "And strong," I bowed my head to kiss his.

I was still cooing over Gavin when Eric came into the room with a bag full of greasy as sin fries and the biggest milkshake he could get. Tara's face lit up and reached for the food.

"You might be my new favorite person," Tara said when Eric set everything down in front of her.

"You're welcome, Tara," he smiled, and leaned down to give her a gentle hug. "Congratulations on the boys."

"Thank you. I think they're keepers," Tara smiled and tore into the bag of fries. "Oh God... these are going to make my fat ass enormous, but I don't even care."

"Stop it! You look great," I smiled over at her.

"What is this one's name?" Eric asked me, looking down at the adorable boy in my arms.

"This is Gavin, and if it wouldn't be so creepy, I would consider leaving... never mind..." I trailed off before I went and outed us right then and there, and in the creepiest way I could ever do it by suggesting I'd leave Eric for a baby.

"Can I hold him?"

"Sure," I handed the baby over carefully. Jesus, Gavin looked tiny in Eric's big arms.

"My goodness he's tiny," Eric said. "And handsome."

"He gets that from me," JB said modestly and Tara rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, T, let him have his paternal pride," I stole one of her fries and she slapped my hand for it. "Hard ass."

"You look like a natural with that baby, Eric. You ever think about having kids?" JB asked and Tara broke out in giggles.

"Eric with a kid? Please," she shook her head.

Eric shot Tara a look, but didn't even glance at me. "I've thought about it," he admitted. "This is kind of nice, holding a newborn. It's a whole new, teeny person. Being a dad wouldn't be so bad."

I turned away from Tara so she wouldn't see round two of the tears I was fighting. Why did he have to say things like that when I was mad at him? No, wait, I wasn't really mad at him; I was mad at _myself_ and taking it out on him.

"Well I hope it won't be an oops moment for you. I can't see you sticking around," Tara said from behind me.

I looked at Eric out of my peripheral vision to see what his reaction was, and I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"I wouldn't abandon my child, Tara," he said, trying to be as nice as possible given that she'd just had two cut out of her.

"What about you, Sook? Kids still in the cards for you?" JB asked and then handed Zachary over to Tara when the baby started to fuss.

I looked over at Eric, knowing only he would see me and said, "Yes, I still want kids. But I suppose I need to find someone who wants them with me first."

Eric's head snapped up, and he had the most hurt look on his face that I'd ever seen. He glanced at the clock and said, "Damn, I didn't realize what time it was. I need to be getting back to the bar to finish the order."

"I'll walk you out," I offered, knowing we were going to need to have this out.

"I'm glad you both came, but it might be best if you just head home. I need to get some sleep," Tara said, "but it'd be great if you could come visit tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be going crazy by noon."

"Sure," I went over and leaned down to kiss little Zachary's head. "You be good to your mama, little man."

He grunted a response and I kissed Tara's cheek again. I stood in time to watch Eric hand Gavin over to JB. "Thanks for the cigars. You guys should take some on your way out," JB said.

"Sure, thanks," Eric said. "Congrats again you two. You have two great little boys."

"Goodnight," Tara smiled at us while she rubbed Zachary's back to soothe him.

I followed Eric out of the room and tried to keep up when he put those long legs of his to work. "Eric, hang on a second," I said from behind him.

"Why, so you can be mean a little more?"

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, "I'm sorry. I didn't... I've been thinking about a lot of things and-"

Eric stopped and turned around so fast that I almost slammed into him.

"I wasn't trying to be mean to you, Eric. I was just being honest. You told me you were okay with an accident, but not with planning. I don't understand that. I've tried to, and it just doesn't make any sense to me. And I know I said I would give you time, but then I see you with this baby and it just... it scares the shit out of me that you might decide that you're never going to be okay with it happening on purpose, or that maybe, just maybe you don't want those things with me," I explained.

"When did you decide to stop talking to me about this stuff? If what I said in the gift shop upset you then you should have pulled me out of there and said so. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," I said and then wanted to take it back. Eric looked wounded again and I hated seeing that look in his eyes. It broke my heart. "I don't want to fight with you. I love you and-"

"Wait, what?" he asked, his eyes wide. "You love me?"

I closed my eyes and said, "I didn't mean for it to come out now. I didn't want to tell you this way. I've just been holding it in for so long now and I just-"

"How long?"

"Since St. Patrick's Day?" I said sheepishly and looked away from him. "You smiled at me from across the room and there it was."

Annnnd I was crying. Fuck. This was _not_ happening the way it was supposed to.

"Why didn't you... why would you... I can't believe you kept this from me," he said, his anger growing.

I sniffled and wiped my face. "I didn't know how you would take it. You don't... I should have told you that night."

"Yeah, you should have," he said, making no move to comfort me, which wasn't like him. "I can't deal with this right now. How long have we been together, and you're pressuring the baby thing, and now you're in love with me?"

Okay, that was the sound of a knife plunging in my heart.

"And you wonder why I held it back? You can't have it both ways, you jerk!" I shoved him before I could stop myself. "You know what? Go take care of your fake order at the bar. I'll get home just fine by myself."

"Of course you will. Stubborn to the fucking core," he practically hissed, and turned to walk away.

"Yeah, well at least I know I can count on you to run away every time something gets serious! Thanks for proving me right!" I shouted after him.

He stopped for a brief moment, and I thought he was going to turn around and continue arguing with me, but instead I saw his fists clench as he kept on walking.

I leaned against the wall behind me and saw to reason to hold anything back anymore. I buried my hands in my face and sobbed for a few minutes until there was nothing left. Of course Eric didn't come back, and as much as I wanted to chase after him, my pride and common sense wouldn't let me. He needed his space to figure this out, and I couldn't stomach hearing some lame excuse why he didn't love me.

I zipped my coat, punched the elevator button and hoped he wouldn't be waiting at my house for me when I got home.

* * *

><p><strong>I have stashed Scribeninja in the Fiction Protection Program until this has been resolved. I also want to note that there are times, when writing, that I get annoyed with the characters for wanting things to go a certain way. I wanted to knock a little sense into Sookie here in this chapter during that gift shop scene. I knew how this chapter was going to go down before it even started, but that didn't make it any easier to write. I think part of the fun of writing with Scribe was that even though I had a pretty good idea of what she was going to write a lot of the time, I never knew for absolute certain what was going to come out of Eric's mouth. Having to react to it right then and there was fun. It probably sounds weird if you don't write, but having someone else write the dialogue for one of the main characters really does take the pressure off a little. I've done very little editing to these chapters as I've posted them, which is also pretty amazing when I think about the sheer volume of words we wrote for this story. I'm afraid to ask, but what are your thoughts on Eric's reaction here? Was it what you expected it would be, or are you totally disappointed in him? Whatever it is, we can take it. We'll just be hiding in a secure location... Thanks for reading! <strong>


	21. Linger

**Well, well, looks like the last chapter evoked a pretty strong reaction from you guys. Scribeninja decided y'all deserve a little treat but I think it has more to do with our angst baby nature when it comes to these two kiddos of ours. We don't want y'all to suffer any more than we had to when we wrote this. So here you go! See you at the bottom...**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 21: Linger<span>

"_Oh, I thought the world of you. I thought nothing could go wrong, but I was wrong. I was wrong. If you, if you could get by, trying not to lie, things wouldn't be so confused and I wouldn't feel so used, but you always really knew, I just wanna be with you." –the Cranberries_

I cried most of the way home for one reason or another. I fired off a text to Elle to let her know I would be back to work in the morning and that the boys were out and doing fine. By the time I pulled into my garage I was cried out again, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before something set me off. In the car on the way home it had been a Cranberries song that I had always loved, and now hit a little too close to home for my liking.

It was times like these when I wondered why I even wanted to get married. Somewhere around Woodfield Mall I realized it was because I was a glutton for punishment. I didn't know how to feel about Eric not being at my house when I got there. At first I didn't want to see him, but by the time I got home I had hoped he would have come around and realized his reaction was out of line, but unless he had parked elsewhere and let himself into my condo, Eric had gone somewhere else.

As I walked into my condo, knowing it was a distinct possibility that Sully had made a huge mess thanks to being left alone for so many hours, I contemplated my course of action. A war waged inside of me as I leashed my dog and took him back outside so he could do his business. Sully wasn't being as affectionate as usual, which I probably deserved, but it wasn't helping my mood at all. Should I just let Eric be and let him figure out for himself why he was a douchebag, or should I track him to the ends of the earth and let him have it for walking out on me.

Yeah, okay, he had a point when he said I should have been honest about my feelings, but look how it turned out when I told him the truth. Could he really blame me for being hesitant to tell him how I felt when I knew how he was going to react? But he would be okay with me telling him we were pregnant. _It. Made. No. Sense._

He was infuriating. I might have my mood swings and all, but damn. We had fought but I never pulled a stunt like this where I left him wondering what the status of our relationship was. I had known from the beginning that this wasn't going to be easy, that Eric and I were going to fight and we were going to have our fair share of ups and downs. I knew there was a pretty high probability of things getting really ugly between us from time to time, and I had gotten a taste of that during our first real fight as a couple.

But I hadn't expected this. I had wrongfully assumed that he respected me, and our relationship, far too much to be such a bonehead. I still loved him but this was something that would stay with me for a while. The longer he stayed away, the more I knew I would question whether or not it was worth it to try and work it out.

Sully kept me out for a while longer than usual, but I didn't mind. I forgot what it was like to go home to an empty house and know it wasn't empty by choice. On the nights that Eric and I spent apart, it was because we wanted to. Now I was alone because he had a panic attack and left me. I thought about calling him to tell him that if he changed his mind and wanted to talk things out, that I would be home all night. I decided against it, however, and decided it would be all up to him to find me whenever he was ready to be a man instead of a scared little boy.

I was half frozen by the time I got back into the condo, and headed straight back to my bedroom to take a long, hot shower. I knew I needed to eat something but nothing appealed to me. Maybe after I warmed up and got clean I would feel differently. Only I spent close to an hour crying in the shower, my fingers trailing along the spot I almost always seemed to be pressed against when Eric followed me into the shower. When I closed my eyes I heard the sweet things he said to me when we were in bed together, or snuggling on the couch; I saw the way he looked at me and it broke my heart.

What if I never saw those expressions, or heard those words ever again? This was exactly what I had been afraid of when the idea of us trying something beyond one night first came up. I had known in my gut way back then that at some point, Eric was going to lose his marbles or flip his lid like this. Maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I tended to think it was just a product of knowing who I was dating.

Just because I had known this was a possibility didn't make it hurt any less. By the time I got out of the shower I was completely drained. I wasn't hungry so I didn't bother with dinner. I checked Sully's food and water and then trudged off to bed. I thought I would fall asleep and maybe, if I was lucky, I would wake up in the morning to discover that I had dreamed all of this up.

I climbed into bed and Eric's smell clung to the pillowcase where he slept when he stayed over. Just two nights before he had let himself in when he got out of the bar late. I had gone to bed alone and woken up in the morning with him curled around me. I always slept like a rock when he was with me, which was one of the things that let me know being with him was the right thing. With Quinn I had always prayed for morning to hurry up and come because I couldn't stand sharing a bed with him. With Eric, on the other hand, I could stay in bed for the rest of my life.

For hours we could just lay together, talking, joking, making up silly stories and recalling memories. Of course there was the sex, too, but that wasn't even the best of being in bed with him. I liked the way he held me and how my head always seemed to find the exact right spot on his chest. I liked the way he buried his face in my hair and breathed me in, but pretended like he wasn't as addicted to the way I smelled as I was to his scent.

I rolled onto my side and hugged the pillow that smelled like him. With my eyes closed I tried to fool myself into believing that I was hugging the real thing, but that didn't work. A pillow was a sorry substitute for the boy I had fallen in love with.

Where was he? Had Eric really gone to the bar to get some work done? Was he drinking away his anger/confusion at the bar, or maybe at home? I refused to believe that he would pick up a skank and take his fucked up emotional status on her. Cheating was something I could never forgive and Eric knew that. We weren't broken up but were we still together? I didn't know.

I lay there for hours, drifting in and out of sleep. I would get into that super relaxed _almost_ sleep state, but then a police car would go by with its sirens on, Sully would come into the room, or a neighbor would drive up and the flash of the headlights would brighten my bedroom. I never quite got to sleep and by the time my alarm went off for work in the morning I felt like a fucking zombie. I showered, dressed, drank my morning coffee and forced down a bowl of cereal.

I tried to ignore the boxes of Reese's Puffs that littered my pantry. Eric preferred sugary kids' cereals and judged me a little for liking plain Cheerios without any added sugar, or my favorite of all cereals, Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds. He always gave me the stink eye when I sprinkled raisins into my bowl. Eric wasn't a fan of raisins. So for that reason, I put a few extra in the bowl I forced myself to eat.

I walked into work feeling like hell, hoping that at some point during the day I would get a phone call, email, text message… something to let me know that Eric was okay. Even if he said he needed his space, that would be better than the silence I was currently getting. But I got nothing from him, and it was obvious to everyone that I wasn't right. More than one person had asked me who died and it wasn't until Elle called me into her office that I realized I was dressed in black from head to toe.

"Jesus, where's the funeral?" Elle stared me up and down.

"I told Eric how I feel," I closed her door and sat down across from her desk.

"Well that explains everything. He bitched out on you, didn't he?" she sat back in her chair with a judgmental look on her face. When I didn't answer her she said, "Oh honey, I'm sorry."

The pity stung more than any quip she could have thrown at me just then. I almost wished for her to insult Eric because at least I could be angry for a minute instead of being miserable. I sat in that chair quietly for a while, just listening to Elle talk about an ex of hers who had been less than committed to her, and how it had taken her a long time to realize it just wasn't going to happen. She had been strung along and made to believe there was a chance things might change.

"I hope that doesn't happen to you, Sookie. You're a sweet girl and a strong woman. You know what you want and you deserve to have it all and then some. Sometimes our hearts just choose the wrong person to give our best to," she told me with a look of sadness in her eyes that made me think as much as she loved her new boyfriend, there was a part of her that still yearned for the old one.

I didn't want to be that kind of a woman.

I didn't want to spend the rest of my life kicking myself for giving in too quickly, and resolving that things weren't going to get better. I told myself that I had made a pretty big revelation to a guy like Eric at a not so great moment. We were arguing at the time, and I had said it in a moment when things were off balance. Maybe if I had told him in a different way, at a different time, he would have reacted better. Putting all the blame on Eric wasn't fair.

I muddled through the rest of the day, trying my hardest to focus on my work. I let myself get lost in it, and the songs on my iPod. I made sure none of them were sad, and spent most of the afternoon bouncing around to cheesy 80's pop songs in the hope of cleansing myself of more maudlin 90's rock thoughts. The likes of Alanis, Hole and Alice in Chains had been banished from my ears in hopes of changing my attitude, at least for a little while.

I actually felt somewhat normal by the time I shifted over to Lady Gaga, whose music felt like she'd never had a bad day in her life. It was all good until 'Bad Romance' started and then I burst into tears. I yanked out my ear buds and ran for the bathroom. It was a good twenty minutes before I got my shit together enough to return to my desk. After that I ended up stuck on the Cure. So much for trying to cheer myself up.

Frankly, I knew better than that. The best way to move on was to embrace whatever it was I was feeling, live in it for a while, and eventually let it go. So if I was sad, it was best to stay that way instead of trying to force myself to feel something I didn't. By the time it was 4:30 I was more than ready to go home. Elle handed off a little something she'd picked up for the babies and asked me to give it to Tara when I saw her next.

I had promised to go visit but wasn't quite sure if I was in the mood. "I was supposed to go today, but..."

"Go cuddle one of those babies. I may not want kids of my own, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the magic of a little time with a newborn. It might make you feel better," Elle patted my shoulder and then headed on to the break room to refill her coffee.

I shut down my computer and gathered my things. The decision was made to see where I ended up. I was sure if I went home straight away I could just tell Tara I had a headache and wasn't in the mood to visit. On the other hand, I needed someone to talk to who knew both Eric and me. I had also lied to Tara enough in the last three months; it was time to start telling the truth.

I stopped for a couple of milkshakes and another bag of fries before going on to the hospital. Armed with the snacks and Elle's baby present, I headed up to Tara's room. She was in the midst of meeting with a lactation consultant when I arrived, but Tara waved me in all the same. Apparently modesty had gone out along with her waistline. I remembered my cousin Hadley telling me there was no room for modesty in childbirth, and after seeing what Tara was willing to expose to just about anyone who walked into the room, I supposed that was true.

With the lactation consultant gone, I went over to one of the chairs parked next to Tara's bed and took a seat. I set the tray of milkshakes and bag of fries down and leaned over to gaze into the face of the highly alert newborn resting on her chest. It was hard to tell which baby I was looking at, but it would get easier in time.

"I promise I'll get better at it, but which one is this?" I asked Tara with a half smile.

"Zachary. Gavin already had his fill and is passed out in a milk coma in the bassinet over there," Tara nodded to the other side of her bed.

"Where's JB?" I asked and ripped into the bag of fries.

"I sent him home to shower and change. He was starting to drive me crazy," she explained with a tired smile. "And speaking of tired, you look like you didn't get much sleep last night. Is everything okay?"

"Uh, no, not really," I sighed and prayed I didn't have another breakdown.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tara asked and took the milkshake I offered her.

"It's a long story," I warned her.

"Sook, I ain't going anywhere for at least another thirty-six hours, so start talking," Tara took a drink of her partially melted milkshake. "And thank you, by the way. The food here leaves something to be desired."

I smiled faintly again and said, "Last night I got in a fight with Eric."

Tara laughed and asked, "What else is new?"

It was true, Eric and I were somewhat notorious for our little spats. It wasn't until after we started banging each other's brains out that I had come to the conclusion that all of it may have been sexual tension masking itself as discontent or lack of patience. This time we weren't arguing over something silly like the merits of James Cameron films (he thought there were none) or the level of retardation of country music (he had some on his iPod, despite how much he claimed to detest it). This time the stakes were higher than they had ever been. Our entire future as a couple rode on the back of this argument. So far it didn't seem like there were any winners.

"It's different now, Tara," I said in a much more sober tone than she had obviously anticipated.

"Different how?" she plucked a fry from the pile and dipped it into the chocolate shake on the little table hovering over her bed. It was an odd combination we had embraced ever since we discovered it back in junior high. Since then it was our favorite comfort food.

"Back in Mexico, that first night we were there, I had a little too much to drink and I started thinking about my clusterfuck of a relationship history. I've had how many boyfriends in the almost fifteen years I've been dating, and not a single one of them has panned out for me. The only thing all of my exes have in common is that they dated me. Then there's my tomcat of a brother, _marrying the lesbian_, and all I could think about is how fucked I must be in the relationship department if he was able to find someone and I'm still looking.

"So I did what any rational girl in my position would do, and I drank too much tequila, walked on the beach and threw myself a little pity party. Eric ended up following me back to my room to check up on me. We were talking, and then I turned on my iPod and started dancing. He was dancing with me and there was more tequila. Eric went to cut me off so I wouldn't be all hungover the next morning, and somehow I ended up kissing him," I confessed and Tara just motioned for me to continue.

"He kissed back but then pulled away like he was afraid he was taking advantage of me. We established that he wasn't, and that I wanted to keep going. The next thing I know it's morning, he's singing in my shower and I'm naked in my bed," I didn't need to go into details about the sex stuff. That would come up in time, no doubt.

"You had sex with him," Tara said without any judgment.

I nodded, unable to meet her eyes. "A lot, actually. At first when we woke up that morning we said it was best to just leave it alone and let it be a one time thing, but it didn't last. We fooled around a lot while we were in Mexico and when we got back to Chicago, Eric asked me out on a real date. We've been seeing each other ever since."

Tara was silent, mulling it all over in her mind. She dipped a few more fries and shifted Zachary on her chest when he started to fuss. The instant his little ear was over her heart, he settled back into his slumber with a peaceful look on his face. He looked like his father.

"So you've been dating Eric for almost three months and you haven't told anyone?" Tara looked surprised.

"Some of the girls at work know," I said quietly.

"Thanks a lot, Sook," Tara reached out and slapped my shoulder.

"I know! I'm sorry!" I moved out of the way before she could smack me again. "It's just... I wasn't sure how I felt about it in the beginning and I knew you would have an opinion, and I didn't want anyone else's judgment to cloud my own."

"You didn't want anyone telling you were a fool," Tara said firmly.

"He's been different with me, Tara. At first I thought maybe it was just a sex thing, but it isn't. I mean, don't get me wrong the sex is..." I trailed off and blushed a little.

"Oh don't even _think_ you're quitting on me now. You owe me for lying to me for three months, which, incidentally, is about how long it's been since I've gotten some, so spill it," Tara commanded and dipped another fry.

"It's amazing. I mean, yes, Eric technically knows all the mechanics and he's good that way, but it's not even that. I've had good sex before, but this is different. I feel that connection to him that every girl wants to feel."

Tara gave me exaggerated moon eyes and said, "Dawww you two make love, don't you?"

"Shut up!" I would have slapped her arm if she wasn't holding the baby.

Tara laughed and said, "So what did you fight about?"

"Well, obviously Eric and I are pretty different when it comes to knowing what we want in the future. Eric is the notorious commitmentphobe who talks about marriage and children like it's a damn death sentence, and I'm the girl who's wanted to get married since I was, oh, born. I knew when I got involved with him that he was going to need time, and we talked about this about a month after we started dating. I told him where I stand, and I told him I could be patient with him."

"But?" Tara rubbed Zachary's back as she waited for the other shoe to drop.

"He'd made some progress. A couple of weeks ago he told me that he'd come to the conclusion that if there was an oops with the birth control and I got knocked up that he wouldn't run screaming because of it," I told her.

She snorted and said, "That's not really progress, that's just being a man, Sook. Birth control isn't one hundred percent effective, so you're playing Russian roulette every time you have sex with him."

I hadn't really thought of that, and obvious Eric hadn't either. I didn't bother to tell Tara that we gave up on condoms as a backup method while we were still in Mexico. In looking back on it, I couldn't believe I had been that foolish and arrogant. I let myself get swept up in the rush of what I was feeling, both emotionally and physically. Being around Eric when my brain was concentrating on how to get him naked next meant I wasn't think about much else in a very clear or concise way. That was a double edged sword, and in this instance it could cause me to end up preggers before I wanted to be. I was going to need to think on this condom issue some more if I ever let Eric get near me that way again.

"Okay, but this is Eric we're talking about. When it comes to relationships and the like we all know he's a scared little boy. He's emotionally retarded when it comes to this sort of stuff. The thing is, he's been trying, T. He's really sweet and considerate, and he takes care of me. It's weird how sometimes it feels like nothing has changed, and then others it feels like _everything_ has changed. I thought it would be hard to make the transition from just being friends, but it's actually been pretty easy, all things considered," I told her and took a drink of my shake.

Gavin started to fuss in his bassinet across the room. "Would you mind getting him for me? He probably just needs to be burped," Tara looked over at the squirming bundle of blue.

"Sure," I got up and went around the bed to pick Gavin up. "Hello there, little man. How are you today?" I asked and put him up on my shoulder to burp him.

"So what did you fight about?" Tara asked again.

"After JB told us you were okay and the boys had arrived, Eric and I went downstairs to the gift shop. I told him to restrain me from buying every stuffed animal in sight, and he agreed to do that for me. I was so excited and in such a good mood at that point. So I was looking at the display of animals and had picked up about a half a dozen of them for consideration. I told Eric the little lamb I was holding was adorable and I was thinking about buying it for myself. He made a comment about how I wasn't having kids any time soon, and that just rubbed me the wrong way.

"It was a reminder of how unsettled he is where his future is concerned. For me, not wanting kids is a deal breaker, and I told him that back when we first talked about it. He asked if I would break up with him, and I was honest. I got pissed off at Eric and walked away from him without taking any of the animals, including the lamb. We sort of argued in the gift shop, but it was mostly me brushing him off. I didn't want to fight with him in there, and I definitely didn't want to bring it upstairs.

"Then he had to go and be sweet and buy me that lamb anyway, but it just rubbed salt in the wound. I came up here and he went to go get your shake and fries, which is why I was a little out of sorts when I first walked in. It only got worse when I saw him holding Zachary. Hearing him talk about wanting to be a father... it just burned me for some reason. Then I said what I said about having to find someone who wanted to have kids with me first, and that was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

"We argued over by the elevators and it got pretty ugly. It got worse when I told him I love him, which I've been holding back since St. Patrick's Day because I knew he was going to freak out a little. He's made progress, but he's still Eric. I didn't want to tell him the way I did, but it just came out. Of course Eric was pissed at me for not telling him sooner, but then he was even more pissed because he thinks I'm trying to trap him or something. He was ranting about me making demands on him about kids, and... it was a mess. He stormed off and I haven't heard from him since."

Gavin let out a louder burp than I was expecting, but he settled down after that. I shifted him so he was cradled in my arms, and I cooed at him while I waited for Tara to let me have it with both barrels.

"You're in love with him, or you just love him like a friend?" Tara asked me.

"I'm in love with him," I said and looked up from Gavin's face.

"Seriously?" Tara looked incredulous.

"I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"No, it's actually... I'm not that surprised," Tara smiled at me.

"Well I sure am!" I gave her a stunned expression. "I didn't think it was going to go like this. I honestly thought that we would get bored with each other and the sex would just sort of become monotonous and Eric would go back to being the guy I've known for the last ten years. I wasn't expecting this at all."

"Do you regret it?" Tara asked as I took a seat in the same chair as before.

I thought about it for a moment and said, "I don't regret falling in love with him. We both know there's no choice in the matter; it was out of my hands. I wish I hadn't told him how I felt while we were in the middle of an argument though."

Tara adjusted Zachary again and sat up a little bit more in her bed. "If you love him, Sook, I mean _really_ love him, then you can't just give up. Give it some time and let things sink in a little. But if Eric is really the one you want to be with, then fight for him. Don't let him run away the way he has in the past. Hold him accountable for his actions, and whatever you do, _let him come to you_," Tara advised.

"Oh I know. There's no way in hell I'm groveling or chasing him down. Not only will my pride not allow me to do it, but he's the one that ran. If he wants another chance to work things out, he's got to find me," I said, but felt awful for having to say it.

"Are you prepared for the possibility that he might tell you he's just not ready for all the things you are?" she asked nervously, cradling Zachary in her arm while she dipped another fry.

"No," I admitted sadly.

"Well, you might want to brace yourself just in case," she advised and stared down at her son's face. "For your sake I hope he pulls his head out of his ass and realizes what a great girl he'd be giving up just for the sake of being a stubborn asshole."

"Me too," I smiled sadly.

"Girl, don't even start with the waterworks. I cry at coffee commercials right now," Tara warned me with a half smile. "You'll be okay, Sook, no matter how this turns out."

"Eventually," I sighed and then bowed my head to kiss Gavin's little forehead. He snorted like he was thanking me and all I could think was that there was at least one man in my life who appreciated me.

**oOoOo**

Almost a week had passed since my fight with Eric. I was essentially a zombie by that point. In spite of my talk with Tara, I only felt minimally better. I saw her a few more times and I was there when she brought the babies home from the hospital. It was amazing to see how much they had changed in just a few short days. They were the cutest little things I'd ever seen.

Work was nothing more than a distraction for me, and for the first time in a long time I was dreading working from home. Being home was just a reminder of how alone I was, and so I went into the office instead. I was only getting maybe an hour or two of sleep at night. Eating was next to impossible, and only got harder with every day that passed that I heard nothing from Eric. The silence was driving me mad.

My hurt was replaced by anger, and by the time Saturday rolled around I was on the verge of going to his house and telling him to just forget about it. I mean, if it took him _that _long to figure out what a dick he was being, then I really had nothing more to say to him. The weather was a little warmer than it had been so far that year, and so I leashed Sully and decided to go for a nice, long walk around the neighborhood. The little farmstand that was so out of place in the middle of a suburban town was open and mostly selling spring flowers.

With Easter approaching in the next couple of weeks it might be nice to have some tulips or daffodils around the house. The color might even go a little way to cheer me up some. Lord knows my house was a mess. I didn't feel like cleaning to begin with, most of the time, but that feeling only increased with Eric's absence. I tidied the place up before he came over so he wouldn't take it upon himself to do it for me. But now it was just me and Sull, who definitely didn't give a shit as long as he got his walks and fresh food.

We walked around the neighborhood for close to an hour before I finally headed us for home. Sully stopped at his favorite tree on our block when I heard the familiar rumble of Eric's old Impala approaching. I told myself it had to be someone else, but then again I didn't bother to bring my phone with so there was the distinct possibility he had tried to call and I just hadn't picked up. The car pulled into my driveway and Sully's head jerked up. He knew the sound of Eric's car, too.

The driver's side door opened and there he was. After almost a week of silence and wondering if my relationship was over, Eric simply reappeared. To his credit, he didn't look much better than me. It was obvious he hadn't shaved in a couple of days and he wasn't wearing his usual button down shirt and sweatervest. He looked exhausted and maybe like he'd lost a couple of pounds. In short, he was as hot a mess as I was.

He walked around his car and came to a stop at the end of the driveway, careful not to set foot onto the sidewalk where I was standing. Part of me wanted to drop the leash and jump into Eric's arms. The other part wanted to walk up to him and slap him hard. What I did was stand there staring at him, waiting for him to speak.

And then I just kept waiting...

* * *

><p><strong>We get the resolution in the next chapter. Do you think they'll work it out, or are they dunzo? I think Sookie got lucky that Tara's a little preoccupied with the babies so there wasn't a bigger reaction out of her. If my bestie hid something like that from me for three months I'd probably be a little peeved about it. No more chapters today, no matter how much you beg (or try to bribe me with naked ASkars the way some of you did in reviews. That's MY easy button, but not Scribe's, just so you know). Thanks for reading! *goes back to hiding place*<strong>

***sticks head back in* Just in case you're a tumblr user and you aren't already following it, I've created a blog for fic related stuffs only, so if you're interested in following it check out makesmyheadspinfanfic(dot)tumblr(dot)com. I post teasers and links to things story associated there now since they disabled links on our profiles here, the whores. I also enabled anon asks & submissions so you don't have to have an account in order to contact me. I also like to post teasers sometimes. Just sayin'... *hides more*  
><strong>


	22. Soul to Squeeze

Chapter 22: Soul to Squeeze

"_You're so polite indeed. Well I got everything I need. Oh make my days a breeze, and take away my self-destruction. It's bitter baby, and it's very sweet. I'm on a rollercoaster, but I'm on my feet. Take me to the river, let me on your shore. I be coming back baby, I be coming back for more."_

–_Red Hot Chili Peppers_

I stood there thinking my eyes had to be playing tricks on me. A lifetime of breathing airplane pollution had finally rotted my brain and I was hallucinating Eric's presence. But then he took a step toward me and I took one back.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I came to apologize," he said, quite sheepishly, and for good reason. "Can we talk?"

"I don't know, Eric," I shook my head. "I don't know if there's a point to it."

"Yes there is. Please just hear me out."

He looked almost desperate, which wasn't something I was used to seeing on him. Eric wasn't the most confident guy in the world sometimes, but he was never desperate. I dug my keys out of my jacket pocket and headed for the door with Sully at my side.

"Are you coming?" I asked over my shoulder when I paused in the doorway.

He nodded and followed me in. When we got to my door, Sully sniffed around Eric while I opened the door. I bent down and took off Sully's leash and he went trotting into the house like he was king of the place, which I suppose he was. Once inside I pulled my coat off and hung it in the closet. Eric did the same, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"So talk," I said and parked myself in a chair because I knew if I let him touch me I would lose control of myself and just sob all over him.

"I'm sorry for the way I reacted to you telling me you love me, and I'm sorry for the way I've behaved since," he said, standing in front of me like a scolded child.

"Is that it?" I refused to look up at him.

"No," he said, and started pacing. "I went to visit Tara, JB, and the babies a couple of times. Those babies are just... I want to be a father, Sookie. And I don't just mean that in the way that if we have an oops I'd be okay with it. I mean that someday, whether I'm with you or not, I'd like to have children. I needed you to know that."

"Anything else?" I asked weakly.

"When you told me you love me, I panicked. Inside I was actually happy for a moment, and then I started freaking out because I was afraid you'd be pissed when I couldn't say it back. I love you as my best friend, but I'm not in love with you, yet. I hope, for the first time in my life, that I'll be able to fall in love. Sookie... please just tell me you'll still wait for it to happen to me. Tell me we're not done."

For once I didn't bother trying to mask how I felt. I didn't hold back because he needed to know how badly he'd hurt me, and the damage he had done. So when the tears came I finally looked up at him. He winced, as I expected he would, and hung his head in defeat.

"I don't understand how you can tell me that I'm your best friend when you treated me the way you did," my voice cracked several times as I spoke through my tears. "I could never, ever, treat you that way, Eric. I could never walk out on you the way you did with me. You got angry with me for not being honest but when when I was, look how you handled it.

"That moment should have been... I agonized for weeks over what to say to you, or how to say it. I knew you were going to freak out on me, and that's why I kept it to myself. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to carry that alone? I wanted to be able to say that I love you any time I wanted, for any reason or no reason at all. But I knew you would feel this insane pressure to say it back and I don't ever want you to tell me you love me if you don't. That's not fair to me, or to you.

"This entire week has given me a lot of time to think about whether or not I want to keep seeing you. I've thought seriously about cutting my losses and moving on because you're obviously not ready for the things I am, and it's not fair of me to make demands of you..." I trailed off and wiped away some of the tears that had run down my cheeks.

Eric got down on his knees in front of me, and I was surprised to see tears in his eyes. He wasn't a crier, he never had been.

"I'm sorry," he said, his own voice cracking. "I shouldn't have walked away like that, and I shouldn't have avoided you. I care for you so much more than I've ever cared for anyone in my life, and I don't want to be the reason you cry. I want you to be able to tell me how you feel, and I want to be okay with it. I'm going to try, I promise, but you have to give me the chance."

"Tara says that I shouldn't give up on you," I pulled my knees to my chest because I didn't want him to try and hug me. I wasn't ready for that yet. "But I can't help thinking that six months, or even a year from now, we're still going to be in this same place. You _want _to feel a certain way about me, but you don't, and you might never get there. There's a part of me that says letting go now would be better. I have been miserable this past week without you. I didn't realize how big of a space you filled until it was empty, and I miss you. And I hate that I miss you. I hate that I have no choice but to miss you because you just disappeared."

"You have to put a little faith in me, sweetheart. Please. I've never been in love before. I'm not sure what it feels like. All I know is that for this last week I didn't want to get out of bed every day. I didn't want to eat, or shower. Food didn't taste the same. I couldn't sleep. I was so miserable, and it was all because you weren't there, and I knew it was my own damn fault. You told me that I can't shut things out or I'll never experience the good. What if in six months I am in love with you? What if, in a year, we're expecting a baby, or engaged to be married? Neither of us can say where we'll be, but we have to take a leap or we're never going to find out."

I couldn't hold back anymore and I let my head fall against my knees, and I sobbed. I was so confused about what to do. On the one hand, I was so hurt and afraid that this was just the beginning of a cycle we would fall into, and I would have to go through this over and over. On the other hand, I wanted to throw caution to the wind because I knew, deep down, that this would be the relationship I would never truly get over. If it ended, a large part of me would go with it and I would never get it back.

Eric put his hands on my arms and I lifted my head slowly. I'm sure I was a disgusting mess from all the snot sobbing I was doing, but he didn't seem to care. I squeezed my eyes closed for a few seconds before I finally found enough of my voice to speak.

"If you ever do this to me again, we're done. No more dating, no more friendship... it'll be over," I said in a harsh tone so he knew I was serious.

"Okay," he said. "Understood."

"And it's okay that you don't love me back. Yes, it hurts to hear that you don't, but you need to figure that out in your own time and I don't want you to say it because you feel obligated. I will try to be patient with you because I think you're worth waiting for, but I also need you to be patient with me if I get a little ahead of myself. Can you do that?" I asked him and wiped my face with the sleeve of my sweater.

"Yes, of course I can," he said, smiling through his own teary eyes. "Can I hold you now?"

I reached out and wiped his face with my other sleeve while putting my legs back down, and then nodded, "Yes you can."

He quickly sat up and pulled me into his arms tightly. "The thought of losing you scares the shit out of me."

"And you almost threw me away," I whispered.

"I know. I won't do it again."

"If you do, it'll be the last time. I'm serious about this," I wrapped my arms around his chest.

"I know you are. I won't. I don't want to feel like that ever again."

"Me either," I bit my bottom lip without realizing I was even doing it.

"I don't want to sound presumptuous, but can we please go snuggle?" he asked.

I thought it over for a moment but in the end it was my exhaustion that won over. Like him, I hadn't slept very well and I knew I would sleep better with him next to me. "No boob grabbing," I warned him.

"I promise not to touch you inappropriately." I could hear the smile in his voice even though I couldn't see his face.

We lingered there for a moment before I got up off the chair and led the way down the hall to my bedroom. It was a mess, and by that I mean messier than usual. I just didn't give a shit. There were dirty clothes on the floor, my bed was unmade, as per usual, and the room just reeked of sadness for me. Stupid boy drama. I fell into bed and scooted over to make room for Eric.

"I missed this," I said quietly once he was spooned up behind me, his arm loosely draped over my side.

"Me too. Please don't be offended if I fall asleep quickly," he said.

"I won't," I pulled his arm a little tighter around me and yawned. I was wiped out all of a sudden.

"Thank you, Sookie," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For giving me another chance."

"You're welcome. Just don't make me regret it," I lifted his hand and kissed his palm.

It didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep, and when I woke up it was because my stomach was growling pretty fiercely. The supermodel diet plan I had adopted in the last week was taking its toll on me. I didn't have the heart to wake Eric, but when I tried to lift his arm to get out of bed, he pulled me back.

"Eric," I whispered.

"Not yet," he grumbled.

"I'm starving. I need to go eat something," I told him, wondering why food couldn't just cook itself.

"Let's just order in."

"But I'm hungry now. It'll take at least an hour for anything to get here," I admit that I whined.

"I can distract you until it does," he offered.

The arm that was draped over me lifted and moved my hair out of the way. I felt his breath on my neck for a fraction of a second before I felt his lips there. I shivered from it, and seriously considered letting him distract me any way he wanted, but I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet. The cracks in my heart were still mending.

"Eric," I moved away from him, "you promised."

"Not even just kissing?"

"I want to but I can't. Not yet. I know us, and I know if I kiss you it won't stop there and I just can't go there yet," I sat up and he was doing his best not to pout.

"Alright, how about this? I'll go order food, and then we pick up your room."

"You go order food and I'll clean up my own mess," I got out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. I paused in the doorway and then turned to tell him, "That nap was the best sleep I got all week."

"Ditto," he smiled at me. "But I'm still helping you clean up. It's my fault you're being messier than usual."

"Just go take care of the food," I said and closed the bathroom door.

I did what I needed to do in the bathroom and I heard Eric's voice elsewhere in the condo. When I came out of the bathroom he was stripping the sheets off my bed. Without a word I started to pick up the dirty clothes that were scattered all over the floor. I put them in the hamper while Eric went to start the washer.

"Shit. Eric, my washer is still down!" I called from my bedroom. I hadn't replaced it yet.

"It's okay, we'll just get your laundry together and take it to my place after we eat."

"Are you sure you want my clutter all over your house?" I asked him as I pulled my hamper out of the closet.

"I'm sure," he insisted. "I'd rather have you and your clutter there than no you at all."

I smiled and suggested, "Well then why not call the restaurant back and make it up a pick up and we'll get it on the way to your house?"

"Alright, sounds good. I'll get Sully too," he said, and left the room again to call the restaurant back.

I got my laundry together and within ten minutes we were out the door. I had no idea where we were going but we went past where we should have turned for Eric's house. It wasn't until we turned onto Wise Road that I knew where we were headed, and that earned him some serious boyfriend points.

"If we're going where I think we are, please tell me you got me garlic mashed instead of fries," I couldn't help but grin.

"We are, and I did," he smiled.

"That may have earned you kissing privileges."

"I like the sound of that."

We pulled up to the Village Tavern and Grill a few seconds later and I waited in the car while Eric went in to get the food. It was a good thing he went because I looked like hell. As soon as he got back to the car I was overwhelmed with the smell of their chicken fingers. My mouth was watering before he even had the door closed.

"Please don't be offended if I have multiple foodgasms in your presence," I said as he backed the car out of the space he'd parked in.

"That might make the kissing difficult later," he chuckled.

"I would think it'd make it easier," I snickered and then leaned down to sniff the bag, the food was that good.

"Well of course it will, but the difficult part will be keeping from doing anything more."

"Oh," I blushed a little. "We'll see what happens."

"I'll wait as long as it takes, sweetheart," he said, reaching over to take my hand.

"I know you will," I smiled at him as he lifted my hand to kiss the back of it.

"Don't even think about eating any of that until we get to my place," he warned. "I ordered a lot."

"Good. I'm starving. I can't even remember the last time I ate a real meal," I shook my head. My last attempt at food had been a bagel that morning, but it tasted like cardboard so I threw it outside for the birds and whatever other little creatures might like it.

"Same here. Laff kept trying to feed me at work, but his food tasted so awful all of a sudden."

"Fighting with you is no good for me, Northman. It doesn't agree with me the way it used to," I squeezed his hand.

"Can we make a pact to never fight again?"

"We could, but I'm sure we'd break it at some point. Unfortunately it's part of the relationship package. If you stay together long enough and you're honest with each other, you're going to fight," I rested my head against the back of the seat. "I think the more important thing is how you cope with it, and whether or not you really settle what you're fighting over."

"I think we'll be fine if we stay honest with each other. We just... can't have another fight like that one."

"Hopefully that won't happen again," I agreed.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I was surrounded by the smells of delicious food and Eric. My mind started replaying the things he had said to me before our nap, and the word 'engaged' suddenly started repeating itself over and over in my mind. I didn't want to read too much into it, but I wondered if Eric had given any thought to marriage since he'd hopped on the baby bandwagon. Then I found myself wondering if I would be pressing my luck by asking him about it.

I decided to wait until he had a full stomach before whacking him upside the head with anymore big stuff.

"I feel like I should warn you that there is a distinct possibility that I might eat and then pass out on your couch," I said as we pulled into the driveway, and then the garage.

"And I might pick you up and put you in my bed."

"I might like that," I smiled at him and then got out of the car.

Eric got Sully out, and came in after me. "We'll get your laundry out after we eat."

"I was thinking the same thing. It would be a shame to let this get cold," I walked into the kitchen and set the bag on the counter while I went for plates.

Eric started pulling food from the bag and set it out on the table. "What do you want to drink?"

"What do you have?" I leaned against the counter.

"Um..." he turned to look at me, embarrassed. "I, ah, haven't done much shopping, so I think all I have is tap water."

"Then tap water it is," I reached into a cabinet for glasses, "and tomorrow we go grocery shopping."

"Sounds perfect."

With our plates filled we went to the living room and made ourselves comfortable. Like the little beggar he was, Sully set up shop in front of the couch in hopes that one of us would get lazy or forget the no people food rule. True to my word, the moans began with the first bite of chicken I had.

"I missed that noise," Eric grinned at me.

"Prepare to hear it a lot," I said after I swallowed, and then took another bite of my chicken. "This is so good."

"Glad I made the right choice."

"So am I," I dug into my mashed potatoes and the moans only got louder. I didn't even care that Eric was starting to shift slightly beside me.

"If you're doing that on purpose..."

"It's completely involuntary." Mostly.

"Uh huh."

'You don't believe me?" I set my plate on the coffee table.

"I believe it's mostly the food, but partially the fact that you haven't gotten any in a while."

"Maybe," I relented and picked up a chicken finger to keep me from saying anything else.

"It's okay. I deserve the teasing."

"I'll tone it down," I said when I swallowed.

When we were finished eating Eric helped me haul my laundry inside. He let Sully out while I got the first load into the washer, and was looking over his DVD collection when I found him in the living room. I snuck up behind him and reached to grab a movie off the shelf that I had never noticed was there before.

"Um, Eric, why do you have a copy of _Moulin Rouge_?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh that, that must be Isabel's," he said, snatching it from me. "Better throw it away."

"Isabel's, huh?" I didn't buy that shit for a second.

"Yeah, she liked cheesy, stupid movies."

"Not unlike your love of Disney films, right?"

"I don't... Look, we should just pick a funny movie," he said, turning back to the shelf.

"Oooh I think I touched a nerve," I leaned against the shelves.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh," I smirked and started to hum 'Seventy Six Trombones' as I looked at the shelves in front of me.

"What are you doing? What do you know?" he sounded _way_ too paranoid.

"Nothing," I smiled and knelt down to look at a lower shelf.

He eyed me suspiciously and went to sit on the couch, where I noticed he took _Moulin Rouge_ with him and stuffed it between the couch cushions. "You can pick the movie tonight."

"I think I want to watch the movie you're trying to hide," I folded my arms over my chest.

"What?"

"You heard me. That movie you said you were going to throw away, but then stashed between the cushions? I want to watch it," I took a few steps closer to him and held out my hand.

He sat there, looking up at me like a lost puppy. "But Sookie, I hate it so much."

"So much that you're guarding it, quite literally, _with your ass_."

"Please don't make me watch this. I hate musicals."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was so full of shit.

"Okay, then throw it away. Right now. If you hate musicals then there is no reason for that DVD to be wedged in the couch," I challenged.

"Alright, I will," he said. He dug the movie out of the couch, and took it to the kitchen where he tossed it into the trash can. "See?"

"Mmhmmm," I reached into the garbage, opened the case, took out the DVD and was about to crack it in half when he stopped me.

"No!"

"What?"

"Just give me the movie," he said, snatching the DVD from my hands. He put the disc back in the case, and took it back into the living room to add to the shelf again.

"Okay, what was that?" I asked with an amused smile on my face. I knew, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"It's time you knew something about me," he said.

"I'm listening."

"I love musicals."

I grinned and said, "I know."

"You know?"

"Uh, yeah," I giggled.

"How?"

I doubled over laughing, which I'm sure only frustrated him more. I collapsed on the couch and explained, "That first morning in Mexico when I woke up you were in the shower. You were singing a song from _The King and I_."

"Oh Jesus," he muttered, covering his face with one hand. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

"Awww it was cute! And I've had fun taunting you with it ever since," I said and dissolved into giggles again.

"So those times when you were breaking into song, you were just fucking with me?" he asked with that adorable pout that I loved.

'Yep, and I'm not even sorry," I fell to my side and laughed. "After hearing you sing that song from _Rocky Horror Picture Show_... God, I almost peed my pants," I horribly sang a few bars from 'Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me.'

"Oh my God you _heard_ that?"

"Obviously," I clutched my sides. I had tears in my eyes again, but for a good reason.

"Sookie, you have to keep this a secret, okay? You have to."

"Mmm... it'll cost you," I looked over at him and wiped my eyes.

"Cost me what?"

"I don't know yet," I stretched out on the couch. "I'll get back to you."

"Sweetheart," he said, and I knew it was on purpose that time. "Please, _please_ do this for me."

"Why is it so important to you that this stays secret?" There had to be a good reason for it, other than he was worried about looking like a sissy.

"Pam. Pam can never find out. I'm literally scared of her finding this out."

"That's it? Just Pam?"

"And everyone else, but she's the one I'm afraid of. I will literally never live it down. There is nothing wrong with a grown man who likes musicals!"

"I didn't say there was! I told you I thought it was cute," I reminded him and started to hum 'Hard Knock Life' from _Annie_. He was not amused.

"Sookie!"

I burst out laughing again, but apparently Eric had had enough of my teasing because the next thing I knew he was on top of me, completely serious.

"Oh come on, Eric! It's just you and me right now, unless you count Sully, but I'm pretty sure he won't give you away," I grinned up at him.

"Okay, but don't talk about it in front of anyone else. And for all that teasing, I think I should get to kiss you right now."

"And because you lied to me, albeit badly, I get to pick where," I stared up into his eyes.

"Where I get to kiss you?

"Yes."

"Okay, pick."

"Now, the minx in me wants to tease to you more and say my cheek, but..." I said as my legs moved up and wrapped around his hips.

"But..."

"But my lips miss you," I told him.

"Do they?"

"Mmhmm," I nodded slightly.

"Then perhaps I should reacquaint myself with them," he smiled, then slowly lowered his lips to mine.

"I love you," I whispered a split second before his lips touched mine, and it felt good to say it to him again and not have him go running the other way. I was, however, surprised when Eric kept the kiss rather short and sweet, but I wasn't disappointed.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I reached up and brushed his hair away from his face.

"What does it feel like to be in love with someone?"

I bit my lip and closed my eyes, trying to find the right words. "For me it feels like... when I think about you, I smile to myself. I want to tell you everything, no matter how stupid or unimportant it might be. I feel better when I'm with you, and I miss you when you're somewhere else. You drive me crazy and keep me calm at the same time, and there are dozens of other paradoxes just like it that never cease to amaze me. I guess that's the easiest way to describe it."

His brow furrowed for a moment, and I had to wonder if he was thinking that I had just described how he felt for me. I also wondered for a second if I should bring up what I heard him say in his sleep.

"And all that means you're in love with me?"

"It's what tells me that I am, but love itself... Eric I don't know how to describe what it feels like. It's just there. When you feel it, you know. I wish I could be more specific than that."

I grabbed his face then and kissed him the way I did when I pulled him into his office on St. Patrick's Day. When I let him go, he hovered over me with a hint of understanding in his eyes.

"Okay," he said simply. "When I know, I'll know."

"I didn't see it coming. When I figured it out I was sitting in that booth, watching you behind the bar. All of a sudden you looked at me and you smiled, and there it was. Out of nowhere it just exploded in my head and I knew," I explained.

"I'm glad you told me," he said. "I just needed to know that there wasn't some kind of criteria that needed to be met or something."

"Nope, it just happens. For some people it's immediate and for others it takes years. There's no guaranteed timeline, or checklist of things that need to happen in order for you to feel love for someone. Either it happens or it doesn't."

"You know what?" he asked.

"What?" I shifted a little underneath him.

"I think you and I should get away together this weekend."

"What?" My eyes widened. "Eric, I... I don't know if..."

"I'll say I'm going out of town for something, and you can too. We'll go get a room somewhere. It'll give us time to recharge our batteries and reconnect with each other."

I thought about it for all of five seconds before I said, "Okay, let's do it."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up.

"Yeah, I think it might be good for us, and I know I wouldn't mind a change of scenery. Going to Mexico got me thinking about how much of the world I'm not seeing. The farthest away I'd ever traveled before that was northern Wisconsin," I told him.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go," he smiled. "Maybe someday we can go to Europe together."

"That would be nice," I smiled, "but we should probably stay a little closer to home if we're just going for the weekend."

"Well this time, yes," he laughed. "But I'd take you to Europe. It would have to be after we come out to our friends."

"For starters. I can't even buy a new washing machine right now so there's no way I can swing a swanky trip to Europe," I said and covered his lips when he opened his mouth to speak. "And before you even think about it, there's no way you're paying for the whole thing."

"We could split it. I could pay for the hotels, food, all the gifts and travel, and you could buy the plane tickets. Only you can't argue when I upgrade to first class."

"Of course not. You need the extra leg room," I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, it's a long ass flight across the ocean. Do you want me to have leg cramps?"

"I'm sure you'd figure out a way for me to rub them right out of you," I snickered.

"I'm sure I would too."

"You're so predictable."

"You like it."

"It does make life easier a lot of the time," I agreed.

"We really need to get your laundry done."

"Trying to rush me out of here already?" I teased and pushed him off of me.

"Nope, I just need something to distract me."

"Distract you from what?" I lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, do you want some time alone with that _Moulin Rouge _DVD? Reassure it that it's safe..."

"No," he glared. "I just meant a distraction so that I can get control of myself."

I giggled and said, "You're adorable."

Eric sat there with a little bit of a pout on his face while I went to the garage to get my laundry out of the trunk of his car. I got a load going in the washer and found Eric stretched out on the couch. I climbed over the back of it and landed right on top of him.

"Get control of yourself yet?"

"Yes, I had, until you decided to drop in on me."

"Want me to move?" I started to sit up.

"Nope," he said, and his arms went around me. "I'll be fine."

"Maybe I should go find us a movie to watch," I suggested.

"That sounds good," he smiled. "You can pick it out."

"So you said before, but when I picked you got touchy about it," I climbed off of him and went over to what was safe to call a wall of DVDs. "You said you wanted comedy, right?"

"Yup, and you can pick whatever you want, just don't make fun of me."

"When did I make fun of you? I told you I think it's cute that you like musicals!" I shook my head. "You need more Adam Sandler in your collection."

"Why?"

"Because Adam Sandler is funny, and because I've seen his movies about a hundred times which allows for me to get distracted with other things, whether it be laundry that needs folding, or a boyfriend who starts getting grabby hands that I don't feel like slapping away."

"But you said I wasn't allowed grabby hands right now."

"I may change my mind," I shrugged, and then spotted a copy of _Ace Ventura: Pet Detective_. Perfect. "Ah ha! We have a winner!"

"What is it?" he asked, sitting up on the couch.

"Ace Ventura," I grinned and held up the DVD. "I haven't seen this movie in ages."

"I love that movie," he smiled. "I used to make my ass talk."

"And you stopped?" I grinned. "I'm going to need to see that at some point."

I turned and went to the DVD player to load the movie. Sully was pacing by the sliding door so I opened it to let him out. It was finally warm enough that he could stay out for a while if he wanted to, as long as I made sure he was in the house for the night. I turned back toward the couch and sat at the far end of it.

"When you said the weekend did you mean just Saturday and Sunday, or did you mean a long weekend?" I asked as the DVD started up.

"A long one if you can swing it."

"I could probably take Monday and Tuesday off. It would be easy to say that I have to travel for work since we've got a few new stores opening in New Jersey," I told him.

"Perfect," he grinned, then shifted so he was laying with his head in my lap. "I'm glad we're doing this."

"Me too. I think it'll be fun. Got any idea where you want to go?" I gently pulled my fingers through his hair.

"I'll let you pick. My only request is someplace quiet. I just want to be alone with you. And we can take Sully if you want."

"If it was warmer I'd make you go camping," I snorted at the idea of Eric roughing it for four days out in the middle of nowhere. The thing I'd miss most was my coffee maker.

"Yeah, that's never going to happen."

"I bet I could persuade you."

"If there was a camper, and you promised 'smores and sex, I would do it."

"Camper, shmamper. I'm talking sleeping bags in tents, but of course there would be 'smores and sex," I tried not to laugh at the smile that spread on his face.

"Sex in a sleeping bag, on the ground, does not sound fun," he pouted.

"You'd be surprised," I said and then cringed. I really needed to work on that brain filter thing.

"Oh? Have you done this?"

"I have," I admitted since there wasn't really a way to back out of it.

"With?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Preston. It was after Alcide and I broke up after high school."

"Oh... So he was number two?"

"Yep," I said and tried to ignore the slightly awkward vibe I was feeling.

"How long were you two together?"

"Not long. It was more of a fling than anything else. I was still rebounding from the breakup, and Preston was a nice distraction. It was never anything too deep or serious," I explained.

"Gotcha," he said, and took a deep breath.

"What?"

"It's just... I don't know how to explain it," he said, then shifted so he was looking up at me from my lap.

"Explain what?" I looked down at him curiously.

"What I'm feeling."

"Does it bother you that you aren't the only guy I've ever slept with?" I asked since it seemed like the logical explanation for his feelings.

"No, that's not it. I'm not that possessive. I guess I just feel like, in a way, you're my first."

"Oh..." I trailed off, but then asked, "how is that possible?"

"Not in a sexual way, in a feelings way. I feel like since you've been in love before me, that you could just fall in love again after me. But it's different for me because I've never been in love."

"Eric, I've only been in love twice, and one of them is you," I told him, hoping that would settle him a little.

"Wait, really?" he asked, and sat up again.

"Yes, really. Love is pretty rare and I'm a selective girl. Why do you think so many guys never made it past the first date?"

"I just assumed that since you've only been with eight guys that you've been in love with more than just Alcide and me."

"Nope, you're part of an elite bunch now. Well, technically, you made it a bunch. Does two qualify as a bunch?"

"Nope, two qualifies as a couple," he smiled. "Would it be stupid for me to ask who you love more?"

"It wouldn't be stupid, but I don't know if I can answer that question. The reasons why I love you and the reasons why I loved him are different. Love is different with each person you feel it for."

His brow furrowed, and he rested his head on the back of the couch. "I really am happy that you love me, Sook," he said, then looked at me. "It makes me feel really, really happy to know that someone cares about me that much."

"None of your former... I mean none of the other girls ever felt that way about you?"

"A couple of them said it, and that was usually when I took off in the other direction, but they didn't mean it. I know that now more than ever."

"How can you be sure they didn't mean it? And what's so different about me that you're not running?" I felt like I had a right to know what it was about me that made me special from the others. He owed me after taking off like he did.

"I know it because none of them know me like you do, and I know it because they never kissed me like you, or look at me like you. And I'm not running from you because for the first time, I want to feel it too. I want to be in love with you, and be with you for a long time. I can picture my future and see you in it, living with me, marrying me, making babies with me, then actually having babies with me," he smiled. "I want those things now. With you."

Did he just tell me he wants to marry me? My breath caught a little at the thought of it, but I tried to play it off by smiling at him. "You're sure that's what you want now?"

"It's definitely what I see now, and it doesn't scare me."

I looked into his eyes and I knew he was telling me the truth. My eyes welled without my permission and the next thing I knew, I was crying again.

"Shit, what did I say wrong?" he asked as he scrambled for tissues and handed them to me.

"Nothing," I said and took one of the tissues. "I'm happy. I can't help but feel like I accomplished the impossible, or something."

He laughed and said, "I think you did."

"There should be a prize for something like this. Like a trophy or a ribbon," I snickered and wiped the stupid tears off my face.

"Or maybe a kiss?"

"I think that's acceptable," I nodded and leaned closer to him.

"Good," he grinned, and closed the distance.

* * *

><p><strong>Feel better now? Of course there are still some details to work out and I'm sure y'all were expecting epic make up lemons but they just didn't feel right in this chapter. We'll get them soon, though, I promise. You'll only be getting this chapter today, so I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!<br>**


	23. Remind Me

**Just a little warning that this chapter is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 23: Remind Me<span>

"_Do you remember how it used to be? We'd turn out the lights and we didn't just sleep. Remind me, baby, remind me. Oh, so on fire so in love that look in your eyes that I miss so much. Remind me, baby, remind me." –Brad Paisley_

When I mentioned the idea of going to Galena and showed Eric pictures online, he agreed immediately and insisted on making all of the other arrangements. It took us about three hours going west to get to our destination. We weren't far from the border of Iowa or the Mississippi River. Eric had picked a place where we could bring Sully along with us so I didn't have to have Missy looking in on him while we were gone. Poor dude got too lonely when we were gone for extended amounts of time.

The drive wasn't bad until we got to the last forty-five minutes or so and there were lots of steep hills and curves to navigate and _no guardrails_ going around the sides of the hills. I spent most of that time covering my eyes and praying that Eric didn't sneeze or suddenly go blind because it would be way too easy to drive off a cliff.

The GPS alerted us to the fact that we were almost there, and then all of a sudden this enormous resort came into view and my jaw dropped. It was absolutely beautiful, and probably way better than anything I would have picked. I was a simple girl who would have been happy staying at a Motel 6, but that definitely wasn't Eric's style.

"Wow," was the only thing I could think of to say as we pulled in.

There were a bunch of buildings scattered over the enormous property that was on a river, or lake of some kind. I saw horses in the distance and hot air balloons floating overhead. The grass was incredibly green for the time of year it was, and I could smell the acrid scent of smoke in the air probably coming from multiple chimneys on the premises. I was in love already.

"Eric, this is beautiful," I said as he parked my Jeep.

"Yeah it is," he smiled. "I think Sully likes it too."

I looked over my shoulder to see Sully was fast asleep, but just the fact that he didn't have to stay home alone for a few days was more than enough of a reason for him to be happy. We left him in the car and went into what I assumed was the main lodge to check in. Eric had booked a private villa for us, which made me raise an eyebrow at him since I was sure it was way more expensive than just a regular room.

"You didn't have to do that," I wrapped my arms around one of his and kissed his cheek.

"I wanted to," he said. "You deserve something special."

Once we were checked in, a resort employee led us by golf car to the villa we were staying at that had a perfect view of what turned out to be Lake Galena. It was a one bedroom villa, which was more than enough space for the two of us and Sully. We were informed that the dog needed to be leashed and any drop offs he made needed to be picked up. That wasn't a problem.

"So, what do you think?" Eric asked once we were alone.

"I think it's perfect. Thank you," I wrapped my arms around him. "I also think my butt is numb from sitting for so long."

"Want me to rub the blood back into it?" he offered.

"Hmmm..." I thought about it for a moment.

We hadn't had sex since before I told him I loved him.. I hadn't been ready for it that first night we worked things out, even though I wanted to, and Eric hadn't really pushed for it. But I assumed that would change over the weekend. I felt okay about it, and really, what was the point of going away and having a rather isolated villa all to ourselves if we weren't going to try and rattle the windows a few times?

"Maybe in a little while. I want to get some of my stuff unpacked first before it gets all wrinkled," I told him.

"Wait, you packed clothes? I was planning on walking around naked the whole time," he joked.

"I assume we'll be leaving the room at some point, but if you want to institute an in-house nudity policy I would be okay with that," I told him and I think he had a small stroke.

"Score!"

"Is that a yes, then?" I laughed and pulled off my jacket.

"It's an only if you want to."

"I think it'll save us a lot of time," I kicked off my shoes.

"Does that mean that..." he started, then paused a moment before continuing, "That we're going to be having the sex again?"

"There's a reason I switched my work from home day to Wednesday," I said and then pulled off my t-shirt.

"Oh, Sookie," he grinned. "I like you so much."

"I'm getting closer to naked by the second," I unbuttoned my jeans, "of course you do."

"Naw, I like you fully clothed too."

"You're way overdressed," I said as I kicked my jeans off.

"Perhaps I should do something about that."

"That would be wise," I said but when I reached to ditch my bra, large hands flew out to stop me.

"Let me do that," he smiled. "I need to reacquaint myself."

"Have at it," I put my hands down and let him go to town. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.

His expression sort of reminded me of a kid who was allowed to lick the beaters when there was cookie dough on them even though he hadn't had his supper yet. Eric's fingers moved expertly, and with ninja speed he had my chest bare, but that didn't last. His hands cupped what the lace and underwire had held since I got dressed that morning. His hands were infinitely better.

"Why do I suddenly feel like Little Red Riding Hood being stared down by the big bad wolf?" I smiled nervously and Eric managed to tear his eyes away from where his hands were resting.

"Because I am very much hungry, and you have a lot I'd like to eat."

"Later," I said, "I need to go unpack for the non-naked portions of the weekend."

"Oh, alright," he said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"We have all weekend, Eric," I lifted one of his hands and kissed the back of it.

"I know," he smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes then and we can figure out what we want to do first," I said and turned for the stairs.

"I'm just going to get Sully's food and water set up."

"Okay," I smiled over my shoulder and headed up to where the bedroom was.

The villa was a decent size and had more than enough room for the two of us. Thankfully the bed was king size, or Eric would have been curled in a ball for most of the weekend. I always felt bad for him when he slept at my place since I saw no reason for a bed that big being that I usually slept alone, but the bed at his house was much bigger. I unpacked the things that needed to be hung up and put the necessary toiletries in the bathroom. The two person whirlpool tub was a surprise, and I wondered if that was part of the deciding factor when Eric chose our accommodations.

In less than ten minutes I was back downstairs and feeling slightly awkward about walking around a strange house in my underwear. Especially since the new policy dictated I shouldn't even be wearing them. Eric was sitting on the couch and I went over to sit next to him.

"Okay, I'm all unpacked. What now?" I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Hmm..." he began. "We could go for a walk, or if you're hungry we could get some food. A nap kind of sounds good. This is our time, we can do whatever we want so long as it doesn't feel like work."

"I agree," I reached for his hand. "I don't really feel like putting my clothes back on yet, believe it or not. A nap might be nice."

"Then a nap we shall take," he smiled. "Lead the way."

I stood and pulled on his hand. Eric followed me upstairs and then climbed into bed behind me. I turned so we were face to face and asked, "Did you pick this room because of the tub?"

"Maybe," he grinned.

"So what kind of stuff can we do here? I've never been to Galena before, but Tara told me about it. She's been here with JB a couple of times."

"I don't really know to be honest. I was kind of hoping we could spend a lot of our time inside."

"We will, but we can't spend the whole time sleeping and having sex," I laughed.

"I don't care if we don't have sex at all, I just want to spend time with you."

"You care a little bit," I gave him an 'oh get serious' look.

"Yeah, I guess I do, but I hope you know that I didn't suggest this getaway for the sole purpose of sex."

"I know you didn't, and it was a good idea," I moved a little closer to him. "Can I tell you something without you laughing about it?"

"Of course."

"I'm kind of nervous about the sex thing," I admitted.

"Why would you be nervous?" he asked.

"I don't know," I tried to shrug. "It's just a feeling."

"Is it because I know you love me?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" I really didn't know where the feeling came from, but it was there, and it was holding me back.

"I don't want you to worry about it. There's no pressure to have sex, I promise. Just come onto me when it feels right, and I swear I'll be receptive."

I nodded and let myself get wrapped in his arms. I realized, as I was drifting off, what the problem was. Eric wasn't being Eric. Ever since I told him how I felt he'd kept his distance. He wasn't the guy who would just grab me and kiss me anymore. He was worried about pushing too hard, or trying to take something I didn't want to give. It was sweet of him, but I just wanted things to be the way they were.

The thought kept me awake and we had laid there silently for almost a half hour before I lifted my head to see that Eric wasn't asleep either. "We suck at this napping thing," I laughed, but it didn't sound like me either.

"But we're usually so good at it," he said, and looked deep in thought. "Something's off."

"I think I figured out what it is," I sat up and pulled a pillow in front of me to shield myself just a little bit.

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me, cause it's bugging the shit out of me."

"Ever since I told you I love you, you've been keeping your distance from me. I don't think you're doing it on purpose, and I think it's for chivalrous reasons, but it's still this space between us that didn't used to be there. You used to be the guy who would pull me into his office at the bar and say dirty things that would end up with me bent over your desk trying not to scream, and let everyone know what we were up to. You haven't been that guy since I told you how I feel, so I think I'm just reacting to that by keeping my own distance," I explained and Eric sat up like a light went on in his head.

"So what you're saying is that I should just throw you down on this bed and have my way with you."

"Something like that," I smiled at him.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and the next thing I knew I was under him.

"You aren't wasting any time, are you?" I gasped at the quickness of his movements.

"You said this is what you wanted, and to be honest, I've missed it."

"Me too," I smiled up at him, keeping my eyes on his as his head lowered and his lips brushed against mine. "You can do better than that, Northman."

"I was only testing you," he whispered, then kissed me much, much harder.

"Again," I whispered when he pulled back. Who needs oxygen?

My hands found Eric's, and he raised them up over my head. He smiled down at me and kissed me again. And again. And again until I had to pull away to breathe. His mouth was immediately on the move, going after the spot on my neck that always made me tremble, and then further down to my collarbone. By the time he got to me breasts my nerves had dissipated and I felt that familiar urgency I associated with Eric and sex. I missed that feeling-that swell of emotion that told me I had to have him right then, no matter what I had been doing a minute before.

He kissed, teased and sucked on my nipples until they were painfully hard and I started to writhe underneath him. He placed wet, tender kisses along my stomach and then set up camp between my thighs that parted like the fucking red sea for him. Eric pulled my panties off, wasting no time putting my legs over his shoulders and burying his face between my thighs.

Eric licked up my slit and growled with his lips against my lower ones. He looked up at me with those dark, intense eyes of his and said, "I missed the way you taste, sweetheart."

I whimpered and grabbed onto his hair to hold him to me as his mouth went to work. Eric kept his eyes on mine while his lips and tongue moved expertly over my slick, swollen skin. He teased my clit and his finger teased my entrance, dipping in a little but not going very far. Then his mouth and fingers traded places to that his thumb worked my clit while his tongue dipped inside me. My legs locked around his neck and he growled again. His other hand came up and rested on my lower belly to hold me down while he took his time pleasuring me.

"Eric, please," I whimpered when he kept me on the edge for so long I thought I was going to lose my mind.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" he asked in a thick, lusty voice that made me shudder.

"Your cock," I moaned, knowing talking dirty back at him would spur him on a little. "I want you to fuck me, Eric. I need it, baby."

I wasn't above begging at that point, and the devilishly smug smile on his face told me he was proud of himself for getting me worked up that way. I didn't even care. I unlocked my legs and he moved up my body and kissed my lips. It was a relief to taste myself on him again. We rolled over and I'm sure he wasn't expecting it when I didn't just slam down on him like I wanted to. Instead I moved down his long torso, kissing every bit of skin that I could get my lips on.

When he felt my breath on his cock, he tensed up a little, bracing himself for what was about to happen. Eric held my hair back so he could see my eyes while I licked and kissed him from base to tip, and then my hand wrapped around his cock and I sucked on the head of it. His eyes rolled slightly and my tongue swirled while my hand stroked the rest. My other hand massaged his balls and snuck around under them to press the sensitive skin there. His hips shot up off the bed and before I could even take him all the way into my mouth like I wanted, he was pulling me back up toward his face.

"You'll make me come before I even fuck you, sweetheart," he said with a danger look in his eyes.

I rocked my hips over his cock, coating it with my juices before he reached between us to line himself up with my opening. I leaned down to kiss him, and my hips lowered at the same time. Eric cupped my face to stop me from kissing him, his eyes watching mine as I lowered myself.

"I really missed you, Sookie," he said sincerely, and I had to blink back tears thanks to the sweetness in his voice.

"I missed you too," I said and smiled at him when he tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," he pulled my face to his and kissed me gently.

My hips shifted, rocking against him a little, and we moaned at the same time. This was what was missing between us. I hated to admit it, but sex was a much bigger part of our relationship than I realized. I knew we liked having sex with each other, but I didn't realize how much it could affect our relationship if we didn't have it anymore. Hopefully, those days were over.

I moved slowly at first, lifting myself up until he nearly slipped out of me and then I would slam back down. Eric watched where we were joined, and I knew the sight of his cock disappearing inside of me was something that turned him on even more. I threw my head back and moaned loudly, letting my hands come up and cup my breasts. He had a visual feast of things to make his eyes go a little crazy, not knowing where to settle. His grunts and growls let me know I was on the right path, and his frenzy fueled mine.

He grabbed my hips and held me up. My head righted itself in time for him to thrust up swiftly from underneath me and I cried out. "Fuck, Eric!" I shouted and fell forward. I caught myself on the headboard and held on for dear life while his hips thrust up in an almost brutal pace that felt better than I ever could have imagined.

My muscles started to flutter and I knew I was going to come soon. I panted for air and tried to slow myself down, but then Eric's thumb was rubbing my clit and he said, "Come for me, Sookie. I need to feel it."

I let go and my orgasm washed over me, leaving me panting hard and chanting his name with every thrust of his hips. My walls were still clenching his cock when he rolled us over and pushed my knees up toward my chest. He kissed me roughly and continued to pound into me. The bed bounced and the headboard smacked against the wall in time with his thrusts. My hands flew up and scratched his back, and already I could feel the next climax building inside me.

"You're so beautiful when you come for me, Sookie," Eric kissed my neck and my hips tried to rise up and meet his thrusts.

"I'm close again, baby," I bit my bottom lip.

"I love when you do that," he tugged my lip free and sucked on it. "Mine," he growled against my lips and kissed me hard.

"Yours," I breathed into his mouth.

He slowed his thrusts a little and looked deep into my eyes. His hand snaked between us and he rubbed my clit. It was intense and I felt that connection between us roar to life. When I looked into my eyes I could see myself there. I wanted to cry, but I refused to do it.

When I fell over the edge my mouth opened like I was going to scream but all I could do was suck in air. My nails dug into his back and my core gripped his cock harder than I think it ever had in the past. He groaned loudly and came a second later with a roar that more than made up for my mostly silent orgasm. Eric continued to thrust lazily for a few seconds before dropping on top of me. My legs fell in a boneless mass and Eric's head rested over my heart.

"Jesus fucking Christ, woman," he kissed my breast. "You're going to kill me one of these days."

"But what a way to go," I said and we both laughed while we fought for air.

Eric stayed there a while before getting out of bed and going to the bathroom for a washcloth to clean me up. The cloth got tossed and he stretched out next to me. We kissed for a while, but it didn't go much farther than that. The kisses were sweet and lazy, just what we needed since neither of us seemed to have the energy for anything more at the moment. Finally I shifted down a little and Eric lay on his back. My head rested over his heart and his arm wrapped around me. I felt like I was home.

We lay there in sweaty, tangled heap and sleep finally took over. When I woke some time later the sun was gone and Sully was making noise downstairs. I managed to slip out from under Eric's arm and went downstairs to check on the dog. He was fine, just trying to warn the little woodland creatures that their presence on our deck wasn't necessary. I went to the kitchen for a glass of water and then went back upstairs. Eric was still passed out.

I climbed back into bed with him, that time getting under the covers as well. Naked weekend wasn't an altogether bad idea, but it was a little chilly in the house. I was almost asleep myself when Eric started shifting around next to me.

"I'm still here," I whispered and grabbed his hand.

"Good. Stay," he said, sounding very much like a caveman.

"Yes. Sir." I mocked his tone, but then added, "Need. Food."

"Man get food. Woman stay naked," he said, and started to get out of bed.

"I can help, you know," I offered and sat up.

"If you want," he shrugged. "I don't mind bringing you food in bed after the things you just did."

"Save it for breakfast. I'm sure I'll be wiped out by dawn," I smirked and got out of bed. "Of course there _is _the issue of there being no food in the fridge downstairs."

"Don't places like this always have complimentary food?"

"I don't know; you booked this place. But when I went for water all that was in there was one of those Brita machine deals, a box of baking soda and a reminder to clean out anything we store in there," I shrugged and followed him downstairs.

"Dammit, I don't want to put on clothes," he whined.

"What about room service? I thought I saw a menu somewhere on the counter in the kitchen," I suggested and headed in that direction. "Yep. Twenty-four hour room service is available."

"Fucking awesome," he grinned. "Anything good on the menu?"

"Mmm... I see a few things that are promising," I said and handed the menu over to Eric so he could take a look.

"This is pretty good stuff," he said. "Let's call in an order so we can get back to the bedroom."

"Works for me."

Eric called in our order and within ten minutes we were back upstairs, laying in bed like we had just finished running a 26k marathon or something. It was nice being lazy with him.

"You know I never did this with any of my other boyfriends," I propped my head up and looked over at Eric.

"What? Had a naked weekend?"

"That too, but I mean just leaving town for a few days. This is my first getaway," I smiled at him.

"Mine too," he confessed.

"I figured as much. No offense, or anything."

"I'm not surprised. I was never much of the getaway type."

"I'm kinda glad I'm your first. I like that we're experiencing something new together," I rolled onto my stomach but kept my head turned so I was facing him.

"Me too," he smiled.

"I just wish room service was faster. Maybe tomorrow we should do some grocery shopping," I suggested.

"That sounds good. We can get up early to get it out of the way if you want."

"Get up early on my first day of naked weekend? I don't think so." I laughed and moved a little closer to him. "Do you really want to get up early tomorrow?"

"No," he laughed. "I only suggested it because I should have thought ahead and gone to a store before even checking in."

"It's no big deal," I shrugged and said, "we can check out the town a little, get what we need and then come back here."

"For more naked time."

"Yes, more naked time," I agreed. "Maybe a hot air balloon ride. I've never done that before either."

"Naked?"

"You want the pilot to see me naked?" I smirked.

"No, I just thought you meant you wanted to do it naked."

"Uh, no, that will be a clothed portion of the weekend."

"Sounds good to me."

"I should warn you that I do have a slight fear of heights though, so I might be clinging to you like a spider monkey for the first ten minutes or so," I warned him.

"I'm okay with that," he grinned. "But don't call yourself a spider monkey, this isn't _Twilight_."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just reference that shit." I glared at him.

"Well that's what popped into my head," he laughed.

"Shouldn't there be a musical floating around in there? Maybe the score to _Phantom of the Opera_, or something?" I teased.

"Oh if there was time before the food gets here, you would so be getting fucked."

"Phantom turns you on, huh? Is it the singing or the sexy mask?" I taunted and in a quick, graceful move Eric was on top of me.

He nudged my thighs apart and his fingers began to rub against my lower lips. I felt his breath on my neck and he said, "What turns me on is the little minx lying next to me, taunting me until I have no choice but to find a creative way to shut her up."

Eric's fingers slipped between my folds and he growled a little when he found I was still a little wet from our last round. I felt his cock hardening against my thigh but he wouldn't let me turn over.

"No, no, sweetheart, you stay just like that," he slid two of his fingers into me. "You wanted me to start calling the shots again, remember?"

Dammit, he was right, but I wanted to give as good as I got. I turned my head to tell him just that, but then he removed his fingers and I felt his cock pressing against me instead.

"Do you want me to fuck you, Sookie? Should I see how fast I can make you come for me?" he kissed along my spine and blew a cool breath over my damp and heated skin.

"Yes," I didn't hesitate to answer him.

"Good girl," he playfully bit my ass and before I could even yelp about it, he pushed into me.

"Oh fuck!" I cried out from the sudden fullness of having him buried to the hilt.

"Close those pretty legs, Sookie. I want you to feel how perfectly my cock fills you," he murmured and began to move in and out of me slowly. "Do you feel it, sweetheart?"

"Yes," I croaked again and turned my head.

The giant behind me leaned down and claimed my lips roughly. When my mouth opened he took advantage and massaged my tongue with his. His hips took up the same plundering pace as his tongue, and the position we were in meant my clit was rubbing against the bed with every thrust of his hips.

"Oh God," I whimpered into his mouth as the pressure started to build. "Harder, Eric. Fuck me harder."

He adjusted his position a little and spread my legs a little wider. He bent my knees and pulled my feet back toward my ass, almost using them for leverage as he pounded into me. I lifted myself up onto my elbows but didn't go any higher than that. The change in angles, however, meant he was hitting that spot inside me that was guaranteed to make me scream, and in no time at all, I was doing just that.

"Yes! Yes! Fuck, right there! Harder, baby!" I cried out, my orgasm so close I could almost taste it. It started in my toes and slowly worked its way up until finally the pressure exploded. "Eric!" I screamed his name and my walls clamped down on his cock.

He growled low and primal-like, and released on my back a moment later. I dropped onto the bed, fighting for air and praying my heart didn't explode. Eric thrust into me a few more times after he came, sending some pretty serious aftershocks through me. When he pulled out for good, he surprised me by kissing my pussy, of all things, before getting up to retrieve the washcloth from earlier to clean me up with.

"Maybe we don't need the balloon ride after all," I panted and laughed a little while he wiped up the evidence of his climax.

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," he kissed my shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>So things seem to be getting back on track for them. We'll see how the rest of the trip goes... Thanks for reading!<strong>


	24. Lover's Eyes

**Happy Valentine's Day, dear hearts! Scribe and I are quite excited that you're getting this chapter today, and you'll see why when you read it. I'll quit yakking and let y'all get to it. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 24: Lover's Eyes<span>

"_There's no drink nor drug I tried to rid the curse of these lover's eyes, and I feel numb, beneath your tongue. Your strength just makes me feel less strong." –Mumford & Sons_

The first morning of naked weekend, Eric and I woke up late. Well, Eric was up first and sweet enough to take Sully outside for me, but only after making me promise that I stay in bed and wait for him. It was an offer too good to refuse, and it wasn't the least bit surprising to me when he came back claiming he needed to be warmed up. We "warmed up" in the shower (twice) before we cleaned up, and then decided we needed to go into town for groceries.

"Okay we need a game plan," Eric said once we were in the car. "We have to do this as quickly as possible so we can get back to naked time. This clothing shit is suffocating."

I laughed as I buckled myself in, happy to let him drive since the steep hills and narrow roads freaked me out a little. "Maybe we should do naked weekend once a month from now on," I suggested as he started the car.

"That has to be the best idea you've ever had. Behind deciding to kiss me, that is."

I snickered and put the address in for the Piggly Wiggly that was in town into the GPS. On the way out I saw the stables where the horses were penned up and asked, "Have you ever been horseback riding?"

"Nope."

"We should go. You look cute in tight jeans," I smiled out the window as we passed the stables.

"I didn't bring my good ones though," he said.

"I'll let it slide this time," I smirked and reached for his hand. "We don't have to if you don't want to. It just reminds me of summers down at my Gran's farm."

"We can if you want. We still have to go on that balloon ride."

"Oooh, yes!" I grinned at him. "I want that more than the horseback riding, if I have to choose between the two. It kinda scares me a little, but I want to conquer the fear."

"It'll be great," he smiled back at me. "I'll get us set up for it when we get back."

I squeezed his hand and looked out my window again. We passed a lot of pretty scenery and it was the perfect time to go to a place like Galena. Everything looked comparatively untouched there. It was early spring, and while the temperatures were still on the chilly side, everything was just starting to green up again. There were buds on the trees and the grass was slowly losing it's yellowish/brown color it had adopted for the winter. There were still bits of melted snowbanks along the side of the road that I assumed would be gone by the time we left town.

"It's so pretty here," I breathed, smiling at the little houses and the couple of kids that were already outside playing and enjoying the warmer weather. "It'd be like living in a postcard."

"You'd get sick of it eventually," he said. "And you'd miss your friends too much. But for a weekend getaway it's perfect. It's supposed to be ideal."

"I don't know..." I trailed off thoughtfully. "It'd be kind of nice to have all the quiet. I could actually see more than three stars at night. Someday if I had kids, they could play in the yard without me worrying they're going to get kidnapped or shot... it would be a quieter life."

"It does sound nice," he said with a shrug. "I'm sorry if I come off like I don't want it, I just learned a long time ago not to hope for perfect situations."

"If it's still you and me, you can bet it won't be perfect, but it'll be worth fighting for," I offered him, and that was the best I could do to cheer him up. I wouldn't go blowing smoke up his ass.

He smiled and said, "You got that right. And I don't expect perfection in our relationship. Can you imagine how bored we would be if we never fought?"

"You like the make up sex way too much," I teased and laughed.

"I really do," he grinned.

It didn't take long to get to the grocery store, and although the scenery was pretty, there wasn't much in the way to see when it came to shopping and the like. We had a short list of things we wanted to keep in the villa for the next couple of days, including his beloved Reese's Puffs. He scowled at me when I reached for a box of raisins.

"Oh calm down, I'm not getting the raisins," I rolled my eyes.

"Humiliated grapes," he mumbled.

"Whatever, dude, they're delicious. Besides, I don't make you eat them," I turned the corner and we ended up in the bread aisle. "White or whole wheat?" I asked over my shoulder.

"White."

I grabbed a loaf and put it in the cart. All that was left on the list was eggs, milk and cheese. Yet somehow when we walked down the cookie aisle we ended up with a small sampling of what was on the shelves. Our combined sweet tooth was a dangerous thing.

"I hate double stuffed Oreos," I announced out of nowhere.

"I do too. The originals have just the right ratio of cookie and cream. Just like peanut butter cups. The mini's and the huge ones they make now just have too much."

"The big peanut butter cups don't bother me. There's no such thing as too much peanut butter, as far as I'm concerned," I said as we turned the corner and finally found the dairy aisle.

"It's just not the same. The ratio of chocolate to peanut butter is too off."

I grabbed a tub of butter since I refused to use margarine after reading an article about all of the crap they put in it to make it taste like butter without it really being much more than chemicals. Then I grabbed a gallon of milk since we needed something to wash down all those cookies with. The cheese was the last thing in the cart and we were headed to the checkout lines.

"Is it weird that I'm excited about being able to cook out on the grill tonight?" I asked as we loaded everything on the conveyor belt.

"Nope. I've been looking forward to good weather for that reason. I also like that you are able to cook on the grill. That'll come in handy this summer when I refuse to go outside because of the heat."

"Unless it's for beach sex," I snickered.

"Of course," he grinned. "But mostly I'll be inside. I hate the heat."

"Then I guess you won't be seeing much of me this summer," I sighed. "I plan on spending as much time out in the sun as I can. Winter fucking blows."

"I'll go outside with you if there is lots of sunblock, and a pool. Also, you in a very tiny bikini."

"The red one I wore in Mexico, perhaps?" I put the last bag of cookies onto the conveyor belt. "Maybe I should get that one in a couple of different colors."

"Why not just get it in red again? Then you'll have a backup."

"What would I need a backup for?" I lifted an eyebrow at him.

"No reason," he said, and started to pull out his wallet to pay for the groceries.

"Nuh uh," I rolled my eyes. "Let me pay for this."

"You sure?" he asked, hesitating with his wallet half open.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's bad enough you won't tell me what the resort is costing," I gave him the stink eye, but he had insisted on paying for it. I figured it was the least I could do since there were things I wouldn't budge on paying for myself.

"Then by all means," he said, gesturing for me to pay with a smile. There was no way he'd ever tell me how much he spent.

"Ugh," I groaned at him and then reached into my pocket for my own wallet.

"You love me," he grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled and stepped over to the cashier when it was our turn.

Eric was silent while the groceries were rung up and paid for. Once we had everything packed into the trunk, he put the cart back in its little corral, and we started back toward the resort. We took a different route back in attempts to see more of the town, but that route didn't give us much more than pretty scenery to look at. Between the two of us we brought in all the bags in one trip. I let Eric put everything away since he was the better organizer of the two of us, and I went looking for information on the hot air balloon rides.

"They do them at sunrise and sunset," I said absently while I read the information.

"Which would you prefer?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter to me," I shrugged, "whatever's available is fine."

"That works for me too."

I left the information on the counter so he could call and set it up. While he took care of that I leashed Sully and took him out for a little bit so we could get back to naked weekend. When I got back Eric had a fire going in the fireplace, and a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. He was up to something; I knew it.

"There's a fire going," he grinned.

"And? We've had fires going before," I pulled off my jacket and kicked off my shoes.

I headed for the kitchen to make myself something to eat. It was almost noon and we hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. With all the overnight activity, I was starving.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as I pondered what I wanted while bent over with my head in the fridge.

Eric came up behind me and gripped my hips, pulling my ass back against him. "I'm very hungry."

"I mean food," I reached for the carton of eggs.

"We can have food after."

"Or we can eat first and have sex after. I'm hungry," I whined, yes, whined.

"See? If we didn't have these little disagreements, our relationship would be so boring."

"We aren't disagreeing. I'm having breakfast and you... I don't know what you're doing," I grabbed the butter and cheese, and closed the fridge.

"I'm also having breakfast, because I don't want you to get mad at me, but I would much rather be fucking."

"Eric, I'm not going to get mad if you don't want to eat," I shook my head and went looking for a frying pan. "It's your choice. Dammit, where are the frying pans?"

"They're right here," he said, opening a lower cabinet. "And I'm hungry too, for food."

"Thank you," I reached into the cabinet and grabbed a skillet. "How do you want your eggs?"

"Over easy."

"You got it," I said and started the pan warming with a little bit of butter in it. "So did you get the hot air balloon thing all set up?"

"Yup, I called. We're going for the sunset one. I love a good sunset."

"When are we going?" I asked with a grin. I really was excited about this as much as I knew the height was going to freak me the fuck out initially.

"Tonight," he said.

"I guess it's a good thing we're having a late breakfast then," I bounced up and kissed his cheek.

"So, breakfast, sex, nap, sex, and to the balloon place by 4."

"That's quite a lofty itinerary you have there, sir," I turned around to grab an egg from the carton. "Do you want one or two?"

"Two, please."

"Coming right up," I grabbed a second egg.

Eric was on toast patrol while I fried our eggs. We sat down to eat at the little dinette table that was set up by the staircase. Sully did his usual dance around the table, praying one of us would have a seizure and drop some of our food.

"Forget it, Sull," I said but he just parked himself by Eric, having decided that Eric was the one of us more likely to cave. I don't know why.

"Why don't you ever give him human food?" Eric asked, and took a bite of his eggs.

"Because he doesn't need it, that's why. Does that mean you've been sneaking him things when I'm not looking?"

"No, of course not."

"Mmhmmm..." I side eyed him.

"What? I haven't."

"Okay," I said and picked up my toast. Sully started to whimper at Eric's side. "Sully, quit it. Go lay down."

"Sorry buddy," Eric said. "I don't see what harm a piece of toast would do."

"Maybe there isn't any but I just don't feed him from the table. Look how he begs now and he gets nothing. If I start feeding him at the table it'll only get worse. It's like having a kid around. If you tell them no and they beg and beg and beg and you finally give in, it teaches them to beg like that for what they want. No thanks."

"Good reason," he said. "What about giving him leftovers? He just looks so sad while we're eating."

"It's a trick," I looked at him like he was the world's biggest sucker. "Like a three year old who pouts for cookies before dinner, but is just manipulating you into thinking their little world is going to end if they don't get their way. Trust me, Sully is just fine."

"So what you're saying is that if we have kids, you'll be the bad cop."

"I don't think we'll have a choice in the matter. That is until our little girl brings her first boyfriend home," I laughed at the thought of it.

"You want a little girl?"

"I want whatever God sees fit to give me," I shrugged. "Mostly I want healthy. Gender doesn't really matter much."

"Well I want a little girl," he smiled. "I realized it when I was holding Gavin. JB looked like the happiest and proudest man in the world, and for good reason. I want to feel that someday. But when I close my eyes and picture it, I see a little girl."

"Hopefully you'll get that someday," I smiled back at him. I was still a little nervous about using words like 'us' and 'we' when it came to bigger things in the future.

"Hopefully," he said, giving me a look that told me he was using those words in his head.

"Do you really think about us having kids someday?" I leaned against the table a little.

"Yeah, I do."

I smiled and said nothing else, not wanting to say something that would make him panic on me and take ten steps back. We finished breakfast rather quietly and I took the dishes to the tiny kitchen to clean up. Eric, it seemed, was rubbing off on me.

"Check me out washing dishes right away," I snarked while I waited for the water to heat up.

"You're learning," he smiled. "And it's good too, cause dried eggs on a plate is a bitch to clean."

"Oh I know," I said as I ran the plates under the water. "I'm otherwise fairly domestically challenged. I don't think I'm ever going to be a great soccer mom or housekeeper."

"You don't need those things to be a good mom. And besides, I'll be housekeeper enough for the both of us. Also, my actual housekeeper..."

"You know, she must be a ninja or something because I have yet to actually see the woman come and clean," I said as I started washing the dishes.

"That's part of her job."

I laughed and handed off clean dishes to Eric for him to dry. It didn't take long to get everything all tidied up and as soon as I turned off the water I reached for the other towel to dry my hands.

"So what was next on your checklist for today? Nap, was it?" I left the damp towel on the counter.

"I think you're fudging the order, sweetheart."

"Am I? I could have sworn it was eat, nap, fuck, but feel free to refresh me."

"It was eat, _fuck_, nap, more fucking, then balloon."

"Oops."

"So shall we get to the proper agenda?"

"Well when you put it like that," I feigned a swoon.

"We can just nap if you want."

"Let's just see what happens," I wiggled around him and headed for the stairs.

With that devilish grin back in place, he followed.

**oOoOoOo**

I handed Eric my hot chocolate and pulled my gloves on. The temperature was dropping with the fading sun, and I knew it was going to get colder the higher up we went. I was excited, though. We'd been given a little crash course (which was an awful term when I thought about it) about what to expect when we went up, so we were just waiting for the next available balloon.

"Thanks," I smiled when he handed back my cup.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little," I admitted, "but mostly I'm excited."

"If you get scared, just hold onto me."

"Oh, I think you can pretty much count on that happening," I took a drink of my cocoa. "I'll be fine once I get used to being up there."

"It'll be great," he grinned.

"I'm sure it will. What's the worst that could happen, right?" I laughed nervously.

"We're not thinking about that. I talked to the guy and he said there hasn't been a crash since they started. We'll be fine."

"Right. Of course we will," I nodded and wished I'd put some sort of liquor in my cocoa.

"You'll be okay," he said, then kissed my forehead.

I nodded again and had to wonder if Eric had made a special request when we were ushered to a solid red balloon about 100 yards away from where we were standing. Most of the others looked all pixelated or quilted, except for ours. Eric climbed into the basket first, and then helped me over the side. Our pilot, a middle aged man named Calvin, showed us where there were a pair of blankets in case we got chilly.

I jumped on Eric with the first roar of fire that sent the balloon floating.

_Yep, clinging like a damn spider monkey._

"Don't worry, little missy, I've been doing this for longer than you've been alive," the pilot promised me, but I just squeezed my eyes shut and took deep breaths.

"Just close your eyes, sweetheart. I'll tell you when we're up."

"They _are_ closed," I buried my face in his chest and jumped when another burst of fire went up above our heads.

"It's okay," he said, rubbing my back. "Want me to describe it to you?"

I nodded against his chest and opened my eye a sliver before quickly shutting it again. His description would work just fine for the moment.

"It's beautiful, for starters. The people on the ground are getting smaller. The houses too. I'll bet we can spot our villa soon. It's kind of neat to see what the ground looks like from up here. It's like a patchwork quilt. It reminds me of my baby blanket."

"How high are we?" I asked nervously.

"Let's just say that the cars on the ground are starting to look like hot wheels."

"Oh God," I whimpered, but knew I would be fine. I just kept taking deep breaths.

"It looks really cool, Sookie."

I lifted my head a little and turned to the left. Slowly I opened one eye and noticed the colors had changed in the sky. My other eye opened and even though I still had a death grip on Eric, I didn't feel quite so panicked as I did just two minutes before.

"Wow," I remarked and kept my face pressed against him. "It is beautiful up here."

"Yeah, it is," he said.

It was another five minutes or so until I felt completely calm and was able to take a step away from him without freaking out like a total lunatic. We pointed out different landscapes to one another, and laughed about oddly shaped clouds floating over our heads. It was a good thing we were able to get the Sunday night ride because it was supposed to rain on Monday.

"I'm glad we did this," I leaned against him and his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Me too," he said quietly. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"You okay? You're not going to pull a me and almost pass out, are you?" I smiled up at him. "I was such a big baby for nothing. This is... it's amazing."

Silence was what I got back. Eric was definitely somewhere else, but I just rested my head against his shoulder and laced my fingers with his. Quiet was good.

"I love you," he said suddenly, and very quietly. Just loud enough for me to hear him, but I wasn't sure that I really had heard it.

"What?" I didn't hear that right. No way he just said what I think he said.

"I love you, Sookie," he said, his smile reaching his eyes. "I fucking love you."

"Say it again," I couldn't help smiling and turning to face him.

"I love you," he said, and then he kissed me, hard, with everything he had. He really fucking loved me.

I couldn't believe he'd said. It was like Christmas morning, the 4th of July and midnight on New Year's Eve happening all at once, but multiplied by a million. For a minute I was almost afraid the balloon had crashed and I was dead, and none of it really happened. Of course, that's when the tears came, even though he was kissing me like his life depended on it.

When he realized I was crying, he pulled back and brushed the tears away with his thumbs.

"Happy tears?" he asked.

I nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, happy tears."

"Good," he grinned, and his lips met mine again.

The kisses felt different, but in a good way. I was the one to pull away first, not because I didn't want more, but because we were missing the rest of our flight. There would be plenty of time for making out when we got back to our villa.

"I love you too," I hugged him tightly and kissed him one more time.

"Why didn't you tell me how amazing this feels?"

"Love?" I asked and he nodded. "I don't know... I thought you needed to figure it out for yourself, I guess. I don't know what it feels like for anyone but me."

"I feel like I can do anything, like anything is possible. I feel like I want to show the world that you're mine. It's... euphoric in a way. Can I just stay in this feeling forever?"

"It is euphoric. I don't know if you can keep that exact feeling forever, but I guess we'll find out," I smiled and looked out into the distance. The sun was almost gone.

"When does the fear set in?" he asked, still looking at me.

"The fear?" I looked up at him.

"Of losing it."

"Losing what?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"This. Us."

"Oh, uh... I don't know. I'm not really worried about it at the moment," I admitted.

"Okay," he said. "Then I won't worry about it either."

"You might never feel that way, Eric. Just take it one day at a time," I wrapped my arm around his waist and shivered a little bit. Without the sun it was bordering on cold and not just chilly.

"My whole life I've feared this moment. At the moment I don't know why I would have ever feared it, but please don't hate me if I start freaking out in the morning."

"Why would you freak out in the morning?"

"About losing you."

"I'm pretty sure you're stuck with me now, Northman," I laughed at the irony of it all, and how we had managed to flip-flop in a heartbeat. "I'm not going anywhere. You owe me a naked weekend next month, and I intend to collect."

"I never thought I'd be Mr. Commitment, but I am, with you. I love you," he said again, as though he couldn't believe his own voice.

"It'll stop feeling weird after we have another fight," I snickered and hugged him tighter.

"Thank you," he whispered in me ear as he hugged me back.

"For what?" I looked up at him, curious as to what I had done other than just stand there trembling for the last forty-five minutes.

"For loving me, and putting up with me, and giving me two chances I didn't really deserve. You're amazing."

My eyes started watering again, but I blinked those tears back before they got any crazy ideas about falling. They would probably freeze to my face if they did.

"You don't have to thank me for that. You put up with my sarcasm, teasing, crying, moodiness... not to mention Hell Week," I sniffled and rested my head against his chest. "Love is about seeing an imperfect person perfectly. Nothing more and nothing less."

"You're perfect to me, and all that stuff you say I put up with? I'd put up with it forever if it means I get to spend it with you."

"I'm happy to hear that since I don't see any of it changing anytime soon."

"I don't want it to."

It felt good to know he accepted me with all of my craziness. I supposed on the scale of psycho girlfriends I probably wasn't that bad. I mean, I was no Isabel forcing him to write me goofy emails, put my picture everywhere and _telling him_ what pet name to call me. I was never going to be the super mellow girl who didn't get emotional over silly things from time to time. It was part of being human, and thanks to hormones, it was definitely part of being female.

I looked over the side of the basket, then over my shoulder at Eric while I was still pressed against the side of it and asked, "You jump, I jump, right?"

"You did _not _just reference that at this moment," he said, but he was still smiling.

"That's payback for that fucktarded Twilight reference, which I still don't want to know how you know about," I shook my head at him.

"Fair enough," he chuckled.

Our flight came to an end about ten minutes later, and was concluded with a champagne toast when we landed. Eric and I definitely had something to toast about, and once that was done with, we got into a shuttle that took us back to the resort. By then it was well past sunset. I was frozen and starving.

"What do you think? I say home, food, and a dip in that awesome tub."

"That is a great idea. I'm damn near close to being a Sookiecicle," I huddled against him in the back of the car. Skinny jeans were cute and did great things for my ass, but they weren't very warm.

"I'll warm you up nice," he promised.

"I'm sure you will," I giggled as he nuzzled my neck and his nose tickled the skin there. "Now I think I understand why you like winter so much."

"It is the season for love," he snickered. "That just meant something different before now."

"I still think I could convert you to preferring summer," I said while he kissed my neck.

"You have the boob advantage though. And bikinis."

"And tiny shorts, short skirts, tank tops..." I trailed off.

"Okay, so summer may not be so bad..."

"Usually when I'm home by myself I'm just walking around in a tank top and boyshorts," I told him. "And I don't like running the air conditioning unless I have to, so more often than not I'm all hot and sweaty..." Yeah, I was pushing every button I could think of. "Popcicles are good for relieving the heat."

"I think I'll be dropping in on you often."

"I'm sure you will," I turned my face and kissed him. "And I sleep naked," I whispered.

"Okay, I'm living at your place in the summer."

I chuckled as the car came to a stop. For as long as we had been in the air, we hadn't gone very far. Eric got out first and I slid along the seat to get out behind him. The cost of the ride back was included in the price of the ride, but Eric tipped the driver all the same. I walked ahead to the villa and unlocked the door. Sully was waiting with a wagging tail like he was expecting to hear the full story of how it went.

"Did you miss us, buddy?" I scratched his head and he tried to lick the inside of my wrist, but all he got was my coat.

"I'll take him out if you want to start cooking," Eric offered.

"Sure, that'd be great," I smiled and went to the back door to start the grill so it would be warm by the time I got everything else ready to cook.

I'd washed the potatoes before we left, so I popped them into the microwave to partially cook them before putting them out on the grill. I got the steaks seasoned properly and onto a plate to take outside with me. I could see Eric and Sully in the distance as I got everything on the grill. I was just about to flip the steaks when they came back.

"Dinner will be ready in less than ten minutes," I told Eric, who stooped down to give me a kiss before letting Sully back into the villa.

"It smells great," he said.

"Thank you. I didn't set the table though, so if you want to do that everything should be ready by the time you're done," I suggested.

"Will do."

Eric went inside and I finished up the cooking. I turned off the grill before going in. The second I walked in, Sully's head lifted from the floor and he was in his feet at the scent of the freshly cooked steak in the air. I rolled my eyes but kept walking toward the little kitchen. Eric had wisely started a fire, and it was a good thing the meat needed a little time to rest because my fingers were officially frozen.

I set the plate down and then went over to the fireplace to warm myself up. "It needs to be warmer than thirty degrees outside already," I said with chattering teeth.

"Don't worry, you'll be plenty warm later."

"I'm tempted to skip dinner and go straight to the bath," I admitted, but unbuttoned my coat and tossed it onto the couch.

"But you just froze yourself making this delicious smelling steak. It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"I said I was tempted, not crazy," I rubbed my hands together for a few more seconds before going back to the kitchen.

"Well then let's eat so we can both go enjoy the bath," he smiled.

"Good idea," I picked up the plate with the steaks and took it over to the table.

"I'm starving."

"Same here." I sat down and took the smaller of the two steaks off the plate at the center of the table. "So tomorrow it's supposed to rain pretty much all day."

He smiled. "Which means we're staying inside all day so I can show you how much I love you over and over and over again."

"That sounds like it could be a fun way to spend the day," I said as I doctored my potato.

We made the usual small talk while we ate, and after dinner Eric volunteered to do the clean up while I went upstairs to get the tub going. I preferred my baths at hot tub temperature, but wasn't sure Eric would want it that hot. I found a few scented oils in a basket perched on the side of the tub, and tried to figure out which one was appropriate. I was pretty sure Eric didn't want to smell like vanilla or lavender all night long.

I was just pulling off my clothes when he came upstairs, and I stopped when I heard him groan behind me. I smiled over my shoulder and then unbuttoned my jeans.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of you."

"I think I'll have to test that theory," I smirked and wiggled out of my jeans.

"I would support this test. Feel free to test until you come up with a conclusive outcome."

"It'll be a lot easier if you ditch the clothes," I giggled at the slack jawed expression on his face when I reached behind me to pop the hooks on my bra.

"Anything to make this testing easier for you," he said, and started undressing.

I didn't bother waiting for him to finish. I was still cold and when I dipped my toes into the hot water, I immediately pulled them back. The water wasn't really _that_ hot; it was that weird reaction skin has when its cold. It sort of tingled more than it burned, but it just felt really weird. Once my toes got over the shock of the much warmer water they were being surrounded by, it was smooth sailing. I wasn't even settled in the tub before Eric joined me.

"Too hot?" I asked as he sat down.

"No, this is nice. I needed a hot soak."

"Oh yeah?" I shifted around so I was sitting behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. "That better?"

"Oh God," he groaned. "That's amazing."

"Thank you," I said softly and leaned forward to kiss his neck while I kept rubbing.

"This is nice," he said as he began rubbing my leg under the water.

"Mmhmm... we should take advantage of that big tub at your house more often," I nibbled on his ear.

"And my hot tub."

"Ah yes, the hot tub. Why have we never played in there?" I asked, my breasts pressing against his back, making him groan a little.

"I don't know, but it's gross negligence that we haven't. We'll get in it when we get back. Naked."

"Are you sure you don't want me to dig out the red bikini?" I snickered and shifted myself around so I was in front of him, straddling his lap.

He stared at my boobs as he answered. "Nope, there's a no clothing rule for my hot tub too, unless there are guests of course."

I threw my head back and laughed and asked, "Okay, so where is it safe to wear clothes in your house?"

"Nowhere."

"You didn't complain when I came downstairs that one morning in one of your button down shirts and no panties," I reminded him.

"Okay that was hot. You are allowed to wear _my_ clothes in my house."

"Okay that makes next to no sense," I shook my head. "But I'll remember that the next time I get the hankering to throw on one of your sweatervests."

"You can't touch those."

"Why not?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Cause they're harder to get off. I can just rip my button downs off of you."

"You mean lifting my arms is too much of a hassle?" I asked with disbelief. "They're not welded on, you know."

"But ripping fabric off of you is hotter," he pouted.

"You'll get over it. Besides, pretty soon it'll be too warm for sweatervests. Then I'll just have to steal your boxers and wifebeaters instead," I moved a little closer to him. "Can't go around naked all the time."

"Yes you can."

"Pffffft. You don't."

"I will."

"I'll believe it when I see it," I said dismissively and fanned myself. "I think you missed your chance to warm me up. Now I'm sweating."

"Then we'll sit in this water and make out until it gets cold."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Yes I do," he grinned. "Now kiss me."

"Bossy," I kissed his cheek.

"On the lips, please."

I smiled and then pecked him on the mouth. "There you go."

"Sookie," he said, looking at me intensely. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too," I smiled back at him and then gave him a real kiss. "Was that more what you were looking for?"

"Yes," he said, then pulled my face to his again, kissing me like he meant it.

**EPOV**

Just like I said, we stayed in the tub making out until the water got cold. Simply kissing was something I hadn't really appreciated until Sookie and I started our relationship. And kissing Sookie? It really happened to be one of the best things ever, especially now that I knew I was in love with her.

In truth, I think I had been in love with her for a while, it just took me a long time to understand that love is what I was feeling. It happened quickly for me, so quickly that I didn't know what to do with it. A year ago I didn't think I'd be in love with my best friend, but I suppose there's a reason we don't know the future.

Sookie and I toweled off and went into the bedroom, where I held up the covers for her so she would climb in with me. Tonight wasn't a night for the fiery, kinky sex we were used to, it was the first night I was going to make love to her, cheesy as it sounds.

"Get in here with me," I said, and she lifted an eyebrow in response, but climbed in.

"I thought you were in the mood, mister," she said.

"Oh, I am, but I want to do it a little different tonight."

"I think we've done it all the ways it can be done," she giggled.

"But we've never made love," I pointed out as I rolled on top of her, bracing myself on my hands.

"No, I guess we haven't. Is that what you plan on doing then? Making love to me?"

"Yes, yes it is," I grinned.

"I look forward to this," she said.

With a more serious tone, I looked her in the eyes and said, "I am so, completely in love with you. I don't ever want to be with anyone but you."

Sookie pulled me down to kiss her with tears in her eyes, and as the kiss went on until she started to grind her hips up into mine. I didn't miss a beat as I moved my kisses from her lips, down her neck, to her breasts, and then even further until I was settled between her soft thighs.

I took my time with it, setting a pace, and savoring her in the process. I knew guys who hated going down on women, who only did it because they knew they would get laid or a blowjob in return, and I just didn't understand that. Pleasing a woman like this was a powerful, heady thing, no pun intended. I love it when Sookie's hands go into my hair, when she guides my movements, when she moans and gasps when I do something perfectly, like she was currently doing. Most of all, I love it when she comes for me.

Sookie cried out my name when she came, and I kissed my way back up to her lips again. She was so beautiful after she'd had a good orgasm. She always looked very relaxed, and usually had a goofy smile, and this time was no exception.

"That was... different," she grinned.

"I'm trying to take it slow," I said. "It's a little hard."

She giggled and shifted her hips. "I'd say it's more than a little hard."

"Yes it is," I laughed right along with her.

Laughing with her during times like these was another reason I loved her so much. I always figured that anyone could do the heated passion thing, and I had done that a lot, but it took someone you really trusted to be silly in sex. Sookie and I had that in spades.

"Is this when the making love part happens?" she asked.

"Yes, so be serious," I said with a straight face. We both burst out laughing at the same time.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Please continue."

"Tell me you love me," I said, knowing it would get us both back into the right mindset.

She smiled, and reached up to caress my cheek. "I love you."

My heart swelled at the words when she spoke them. I knew they were true, and I knew without a doubt that I felt the same. No more words were spoken after I kissed her. She reached down to position me after a moment, and I pushed inside her soft warmth. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ felt as good as being inside Sookie. I took a moment to just stay there, kissing the woman I loved while buried deep inside her, and it was definitely going down as one of the best moments of my life.

She and I both let out noises of satisfaction when I finally began to move. I kissed her lips, and that spot on her neck that drove her insane, but mostly I looked into her eyes, trying to convey with mine how much I loved her.

After a time, I rolled us so that she was on top. I loved to watch her beautiful body as she rode me. My hands roamed her skin, squeezed her ass, played with her nipples, rubbed her clit, all eliciting breathy moans and gasps from her. She rolled and rocked her hips against mine, and when she was close she came down to meet my lips again, a signal for me to take over once more.

We rolled again, and I picked up the pace. Her hips met mine thrust for thrust while my name fell from her lips. The tension was about to come undone, so I braced myself on one hand and reached down between us to get her over the edge.

Within seconds she cried out my name. The feeling of her exploding all around me finished me, and I thrust deep inside her as I came. I collapsed on top of her, unable to do anything else, and we lay there, panting, as our mutual aftershocks coursed through our bodies.

"I fucking love you," I said when I finally gathered the strength to pull out and roll to the side.

"So that was making love, huh?" she said, and curled into my side, that goofy grin back on her beautiful face.

"I do believe so."

"We should do that more often."

"If I have anything to do with it, we will," I promised.

* * *

><p><strong>So how'd you like that surprise EPOV thrown in? Scribe wanted to write this lemon, but she felt comfortable writing it in EPOV so that's why we have that here. We did a little debating about the part where Eric tells Sookie he loves her, but I like that there isn't any big build up to it. There's no flowery speech, just a simple declaration of fact. And very fitting that you get this chapter today. So, are we happy now? They're officially in love. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	25. I'll Be Here in the Morning

**Scribe and I are glad y'all liked the EPOV so much last chapter. That was sort of a onetime deal, so we're back to Sookie's POV. If you sweet talk Scribe enough you might get her to write outtakes. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 25: I'll Be Here in the Morning<span>

"_There is nothin' that's as real as a love that's in my mind. Close your eyes I'll be here in the morning. Close your eyes I'll be here for a while. There's lots of things along the road I'd surely like to see. I'd like to lean into the wind, and tell myself I'm free. But your softest whisper's louder than the highway's call to me." –Townes Van Zandt_

Loud thunder overhead woke me up, but I didn't want to move. I was exhausted and comfortable right where I was. I'd found the perfect comfy spot. I wasn't leaving it unless I had to. Then Eric started shifting around behind me.

"Are you awake?" he asked.

"As long as I don't have to move," I smiled. That was as far as I was willing to go.

"Stupid thunder woke me up," he grumbled.

"You have a problem with thunder?" I closed my eyes and hoped he didn't go pulling me closer to him.

"I love it most of the time, but it woke me up."

"Well go back to sleep," I said. Thunder boomed overhead a second later. "Or not."

"Just snuggle me and I'll try," he said.

Ugh. I really, really didn't want to move but it beat listening to him pout and be grouchy the rest of the day. I turned over and his head landed on my chest. "Better?"

"Much," he sighed, and wrapped his arms around me.

I laughed silently, wondering what he was going to do when he had to share the girls with a child. I could see him in my mind, trying not to pout over it and failing miserably.

"Sookie?"

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"I still love you," he whispered back.

"You were really afraid that was going to disappear overnight?" I rubbed his head.

"I've never been in love before, I didn't know."

"Well, I'm glad you still love me."

"I am too. And I'm not scared."

"I am a little," I said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because I'm really comfortable right now and I have to pee," I said and then laughed. I didn't want to get up.

"Do I need to carry you to the toilet?"

"No," I laughed some more and wiggled out from under him. "I got it. I'll be right back."

I went to the bathroom and did what I needed to do, including a quick pit stop at the sink to brush my teeth. My hair was a hot mess, but seeing as how I was going right back to bed I didn't bother messing with it. Eric was exactly where I'd left him and when I climbed back into bed, he dropped right back onto my chest.

"Ooof," I said dramatically. "What are you going to do when you wake up alone on Thursday?"

"Cry," he sighed.

"You will not," I laughed, and more thunder rumbled over our heads.

"I might. I'm a man in love now. Everything's different."

"Does this mean we can watch romantic comedies?" I grinned at the ceiling.

"No," he said quickly and firmly.

"But you're a man in love now! You might like them."

"No."

"You would watch them if they burst into song mid-movie," I pouted.

"Okay fine, if it'll make you happy, we can watch one occasionally."

"Oh, well thank you," I slid out from under him and he complained until I landed on top of him instead. "You're too heavy."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You don't have to apologize," I snuggled against him. "You do realize we're going to have to get up eventually to eat, right?"

"Yes, but that time is not now."

"I know. Just sayin'," I yawned. The sound of rain smacking against the window was soothing to me, as was the distant rumbling of thunder.

"I think I'm going to fall asleep again," he said.

"Me too," I shifted off of him.

I rolled onto my side in hopes of finding another comfy spot that would allow me to drop off quickly. Eric wrapped himself around me as best he could with his face buried in my hair, and it didn't take long before he was snoring quietly behind me. I smiled and kissed his hand before resting it on my chest. He would appreciate that when he woke up to find it there.

Frankly, I was still shocked by his revelation the night before. The last thing I had expected to hear was that he was in love with me. I had hoped for it, obviously, but I didn't expect it. I figured if it ever happened, it would be further into the future. The surprise in his own voice when he said the words was enough to let me know that it was a thought that had popped into his head. Maybe he said it without realizing he was saying it, or maybe he didn't give himself the chance to think it over and come up with a list of reasons why he was wrong for even thinking it. Whatever the case may be, it took me completely by surprise.

I got comfortable, but I didn't go back to sleep. Just laying there next to him was enough for me. I let myself drift off a little, the sound of the storm going on around us lulling me into a state of intense relaxation. I wasn't at all looking forward to going back to work on Thursday, but I didn't really have much of a choice. It was while I was laying there, thinking about all the things that had changed for me in the last week, that I came to a rather specific conclusion.

Eric had been talking about the two of us having kids at some point, which led me to believe he had given more thought to the topic of marriage. I hadn't brought that up, however, because the realization that he was in love with me was enough for one day. I didn't want to push him too hard, or too far. Eric backsliding into that withdrawn state wasn't something I would be able to tolerate very well, and frankly I wasn't sure I had it in me to talk him down off the ledge again. That said, I came to the conclusion that when I had kids, I didn't want to go back to work.

After seeing Tara with the twins, and just knowing how difficult it was to leave Eric, I knew there was no way I could hand off my kids to let someone else raise them. Maybe it was idealist and something we wouldn't be able to afford doing, but it was something to discuss at a later time anyway. I had no plans to get pregnant for a while, even though I knew the clock was ticking. My mind was flooded with the images of Eric snuggling a tiny baby, and my ovaries started to ache.

_New topic, Stackhouse_, I told myself.

Ironically, that was when Eric's hand figured out where it was. His grabby hands first thing when he woke up were actually kind of cute. The fact that he still wanted me when I was all bedheaded (okay, usually it was outrageous sex hair), morning breathed and not quite at my best yet only made me want him more. The kisses on my shoulder didn't hurt either.

"Sleep good?" I whispered to him just in case he wasn't really awake yet. It wouldn't be the first time he felt me up in his sleep.

"Mmm, the best," he said against my neck.

"Good," I yawned and rolled onto my back. "Still love me?"

"Yes," he said. "How do you feel about that, by the way?"

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to say that. I thought maybe, eventually, you would get there, but I wasn't expecting you to say it last night. I'm glad you did, though, and not even for me, but for you. It makes me sad that you've never felt like this before," I said honestly.

"I was surprised when I said it too," he admitted. "We were just up there, being us, and the thought of the balloon crashing did enter my mind. I wondered what I would feel if that happened and you died, and the feeling almost buckled my knees. All the things you told me about how it feels to love went through my head, and I knew you were right. I felt all those things too. You drive me nuts sometimes, but I'd rather have you and your messy ways in my house every day than not have you there at all. I've already experienced what it's like to be without you and I didn't like it one bit. But mostly, what really got to me is that I can't see my future anymore without you in it."

"Really?" My stupid eyes started watering. Dammit. I needed to work on this crying thing. "What do you see in the future?" I figured it was safe to ask since he was the one who brought it up.

"You and me, in my house, which is messy, because you're there," he grinned. "We have a couple blond kids running around, which is kind of creepy when you think about it. We'd be like Hitler's ideal family."

"Only if we redecorate with swastikas everywhere, and that's not happening, but I get your point. I can't believe you can see all that," I was impressed, and a little afraid I was dreaming it.

"My mother always told me that I would fall hard one day whether I wanted to or not, and I think she was right. I fell hard, and I fell fast, and it scared the shit out of me, but I'm done with that. Being with you and loving you has opened my eyes to so many new possibilities. I just hope you won't be stubborn one day when I ask you to live with me."

"What would I be stubborn about?" My eyes went wide. I wasn't going to say that I wasn't stubborn since that would be a big fat lie but still...

"Living with me," he laughed. "You'd have to leave the condo you love so much and worked hard for. Then there's the matter of bills and paying for things that you'd throw fits over."

"Well we would discuss the financial arrangements before I moved out of my condo, that's for sure. And just so you know, I'm not thinking to mooch off of you. I'm sure you make more money than me in a year but I'm not destitute. I do okay on my own," I was careful not to sound too harsh when I spoke, but I was firm enough that he should have been taking me seriously.

"And you should know that I'm totally fine with you paying for things. Just because I make more than you shouldn't mean anything. And if we ever get married then my money will be your money and it becomes a moot point anyway."

"True, but we're a long way from talking about getting married, I think," I smiled at him, although I knew it would be floating around somewhere in the back of my mind now that we were talking about it. "We haven't even told anyone we're dating yet, except for Tara."

"You're right, and I'm not running off to buy a ring tomorrow or anything. It's just something I'm not afraid of. Besides, I think we should live together for a while before considering marriage. And even that is a ways off. I don't want to push things too fast."

"Me either. I like things the way they are right now. Although I might feel differently come Wednesday night when I have to go home by myself," I confessed.

"We'll be fine. It's not like I live far, so either of us can go crawl into bed with the other," he smiled. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this?"

"I think it's going to take some time to sink in, but yes, I'm happy. This has been a really good trip so far," I rolled a little closer and kissed him.

"So you're not going to drop me 'cause I got too mushy?"

"Did you forget about my love of romantic comedies? No, I'm not going to drop you for getting too mushy. I think this has been the right amount of mush," I said decisively.

"Good. I'm not sure I'll get much more mushy. Like, don't expect flowers and candy at work every day."

"Oh God, please don't. Things like that lose their specialness if I get them all the time. Surprises are good but they cease to be surprises if they're delivered like clockwork."

"I agree. See? We're perfect together."

I giggled and just agreed with him. "You know, you might be right. I mean, look how long we were both blind to what was right in front of us the whole time."

"Which is probably a good thing. I'm not sure this would have worked if we weren't friends for a decade first."

"I think that's part of what sort of accelerated this whole process. Our first date wasn't a typical first date since we've known each other for so long. For us it's been more about changing our way of thinking about each other than going through all the getting to know you crap. Plus the sex is amazing."

"Best sex of my life," he said with a huge grin, and began kissing from my collarbone to my neck.

"Mmhmm..." my brain went a little screwy when he kissed that spot that always made my thoughts go haywire.

"If I had known you were this amazing in bed, I'd have tried to sleep with you a long time ago."

I couldn't help laughing at that and Eric's head lifted from my neck to look at me strangely. "You still don't remember your twenty-fifth birthday, do you?"

"Why?"

"Because you totally groped me after I got you set up on the couch that night. You said it would be the best birthday present I could ever give you. Then you threw up," I recalled for him. Drunk Eric was a messy, gross Eric. "And then there was your thirtieth birthday when you tried to talk me into giving you a lapdance."

"Oh..."

"Well, maybe this year you'll get one," I smiled at him. "I _do_ have that cheerleading uniform laying around..."

"I would love that," he said. "And I'm sorry for coming on to you like that. It was rude."

"I never took it seriously. You were drunk. You probably would have hit on Pam if she-" he cut me off, covering my mouth with his hand.

"Not. Cool."

I couldn't help laughing and tried to talk but it came out all muffled since his hand was still covering my mouth.

"Nope. Say you're sorry," he said.

"Never," it came out all muffled.

"Do you have any idea how traumatizing that image is to me?"

I pulled his hand away from my mouth and said, "I'm just trying to point out how intoxicated you were. I'm not saying you would willingly, in your right and sober state of mind, trying to bang your sister."

"Ew," he said, making a face at my last few words. "Just hearing you talk about it in any sense makes me have the worst mental images."

I grabbed his face and kissed him. He kissed back and slid on top of me. My legs wrapped around him and when I pulled back I looked up into his face and asked, "That better?

"Much," he smiled.

"Good. Now we need to do something about the rumbling in my tummy," I pushed him back and sat up slowly.

"Then sex, right?"

"I'll consider it," I smiled and climbed out of bed. "And I have to take Sully out."

"Want me to start the food?" he asked.

"Sure," I bent down, earning my a growl from behind me, while I picked up the button down shirt that he'd deposited on the floor the night before.

"No, I've changed my mind. Get back in bed and fuck me."

I snorted, pulled his shirt on and said, "Oh, I think you're going to have to catch me first." I took off at a dead run and hoped I wouldn't break my neck on the stairs.

"If I catch you, I'm fucking you," he called out to me.

"You'll have to get out of bed first!" I shouted over my shoulder and started down the stairs.

I heard him give chase after that, and by the time I reached the bottom of the stairs he was right behind me.

"No fair! Your legs are longer!" I squirmed as he caught me around my waist.

"All's fair, sweetheart."

"But I need food," I protested even though I was intentionally rubbing against him.

"A deal is a deal, Sookie," he said.

"Fine," I pretended to pout. "But food after."

"If you're really that hungry we can eat first."

"You need to learn the difference between a real pout and a pretend pout," I turned to face him.

"Yeah, I probably should know that by now," he admitted sheepishly.

"If you did we could be fucking right now," I smirked and then tried to pull away from him.

"Oh no you don't," he said, pulling me back to him. "I think we have a deal to bang out."

"Yes sir," I nodded and dropped his shirt.

"How do you want it?" he asked, eying my chest.

"I think it would be winner's choice."

"Then I'll have you bent over the table," he growled, and picked me up.

**oOoOoOo**

Eric very sweetly volunteered to take Sully out for me, and since it was raining still there was no way I was going to refuse the offer. In the meantime I went to the cushy leather sofa we hadn't spent much time on, and turned on the TV to see what was on. The outside world had somewhat ceased to exist, aside from the sound of the storm going on outside.

Since it was our last night we decided to order room service and be lazy in front of the TV, or in bed... wherever our lazy bones took us. I was wrapped up in a throw blanket, channel surfing, when I came to a Lifetime movie and stopped. It would only take Eric about ten seconds to veto my choice when he got back, but that didn't mean I couldn't indulge my swoony side while he was gone. Besides, _Fear Factor _would be starting soon anyway. It was a gross show in so many ways, but I couldn't help watching.

The door blew open a short time later, and after drying Sully's paws, Eric took him off the leash. I had a towel waiting for him, hanging off the banister since I figured Eric would be soaked as well.

"Still pouring out there, huh?" I asked as Eric towel dried his hair a little.

"Yes, want to hug me right now?" he asked.

"You're all wet," I crinkled my nose, but ended up getting hugged anyway. "Eric!"

"Now you're wet too," he grinned.

"I'm always wet around you," I smirked.

"And it's part of why I love you," he smiled, and gave me a peck on the lips.

"Even if I make you watch Lifetime movies with me?" I batted my eyelashes.

"Really?" he sighed, looking at the TV.

"Just until _Fear Factor_ starts," I said and his shoulders sagged with relief. "I don't know why I keep watching that show. I inevitably get freaked out and try to burrow behind you at some point."

"That show is awesome," he said. "You just like having an excuse to touch me."

"I don't need an excuse. All I have to do is tell you I'm horny, and you're all over it," I chuckled and headed for the couch.

Eric stripped off his wet clothes and hung them over the back of the dinette chairs before coming to sit down on the couch with me. He pulled my feet over his lap and started rubbing them. I squirmed a little, the way I always did whenever someone touched my feet, and he smiled smugly.

"I was thinking about something..." I trailed off, hoping to distract him from rubbing my feet.

"Oh?"

"I was thinking maybe it's time we tell our friends and family that we're dating," I slouched down a little more and rested my head on the arm of the couch.

"I've been thinking the same thing," he said.

"Good," I breathed a sigh of relief. "It just seems silly to keep hiding it if we're talking about some serious things happening in the future. If we were going to keep this more casual, I wouldn't mind keeping it to ourselves for longer."

"I agree. Plus the sneaking around is only going to get harder. And we can't really ask Tara to keep this a secret for us."

"Plus if we're out about it, I can start coming to the bar more often and dragging you back to your office without worrying about getting caught," I wiggled my eyebrows at him. I was just saying what he was thinking, let's be honest.

"That too," he smiled.

"I just wish there was a way to keep it from Pam for a little while longer. I like messing with her head," I confessed. "She's a nosy bitch."

"That would be really fun," he grinned. "But inevitably she'd just say she knew it all along."

"Of course she would. How do you think your Mom'll take it? She's been pushing me toward you since I was in my early twenties," I shook my head, thinking back to all the times Angela told me to give Eric a chance. I guess she saw what he and I didn't.

"Oh she's going to start planning our wedding immediately, and bugging us about grandchildren."

"You think?" I asked even though he was probably right. "Maybe we should tell her over the phone then," I suggested with a laugh.

"Maybe," he chuckled. "Speaking of weddings, do you want the whole big thing when you get married?"

"Not really," I said and he looked a little surprised. "I mean, don't get me wrong, weddings should be special and all, but I never really saw the point of putting together what basically becomes a circus of sorts. The ceremony is supposed to be about the two people getting married, and not how many bodies they can pack into a church. I'd just as soon sneak off in the middle of the night and do it just me and my fiance as plan some elaborate affair that's more for my guests than it is for me."

"I'm so happy you feel that way, but I'm also a little surprised. I guess I just figured you were the type to have your dream wedding planned in your head."

"I do. I just don't have a guest list hundreds of people long with a bunch of bridesmaids all picked out," I shrugged. "Honestly, I would be happy to get married in my Gran's backyard on a warm spring day. No big, fancy dress or catered food. Just close family and friends, bare feet and a bunch of picnic tables all set up in the yard."

"I should have known."

"Should have known what?" I smiled at him.

"That you're more perfect than I ever could have imagined."

"Because I don't want to stress myself out for a year debating over photographers, flower arrangements or banquet halls? No thanks. I'd rather put the money into a fuck awesome honeymoon. Jason and Pam's wedding was beautiful, but I have no desire to go through all that." Just the thought of it made me shudder a little. Simplicity was the way to go, as far as I was concerned. "What about you? What do you want?"

"Vegas," he laughed.

"Really?" I sat up, completely taken by surprise by that.

"It's just the least fussy way to do it. I don't really care about the flowers, the food, the rituals... I'm not opposed to weddings, exactly, and if the woman I marry wants one, I wouldn't hesitate to give it to her."

"Honestly, the only thing I wouldn't budge on is my father walking me down the isle. Everything else is up for discussion."

"That's doable," he said with a small smile.

"You're really serious about us getting married someday, aren't you?" I asked, feeling a little overwhelmed by it, but in a good way.

"It's all I can see right now."

I don't remember telling my body to do it, but I pounced on him then and kissed him sweetly. "Sorry. I don't want to freak you out or anything, but it makes me happy to know that you're not only thinking about your future, but that you want me to be a part of it the way you do. If I'm being completely honest, I didn't think we would ever be having this conversation when we first got back from Mexico."

"I didn't either. To be honest, I don't think anyone is more surprised than me."

"That's probably very true," I said and then had a horrible thought. "Can you imagine Isabel's face when she hears about this?"

Eric snorted loudly, then laughed. "She'll be so pissed."

"Would it be mean if I called you 'honeybear' in front of her?" I snickered and then full out laughed.

"Oh Jesus," he laughed. "That would actually be hilarious for me."

"Stick a picture of us behind the bar or something," I rested my head against his shoulder while I laughed. "I'm horrible."

"You're not horrible, Isabel was horrible."

"I mean I'm horrible for mocking her. She might be delusional, but still..."

"You're still not horrible. It's nice to get some of this stuff out, really. I couldn't ever talk about my relationship with her to anyone else."

"Well, you can talk about it with me anytime you want. God knows you listened to me mope, whine and cry over Alcide," I rolled my eyes just thinking about it. What a waste that turned out to be.

"Yeah, but guys aren't supposed to do that. Not that I want to mope, whine, or cry over her."

"Okay so you don't have to mope, whine or cry, but you can bitch about her if you want. I won't tell anyone," I promised and crossed my heart.

"Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Yes, I'm okay with it. I know you don't want her back, and if you ever change your mind on that... well, I wish you the best of luck," I snickered and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"She once told me I needed to learn a thing or two about oral sex," he confessed. "So I stopped doing it."

"Ummm... is she insane? You've never needed any tutoring, as far as I'm concerned," I said in his defense.

"I'm glad you think so," he smiled. "I don't know why I stayed with her so long. I think I was just subconsciously ready to settle down a bit, and she was just... there."

"Ha! Her crazy prepared you for mine," I suggested.

"I guess it did. But she was just after my money I think. I heard her talking on the phone once about her dream wedding. And she once asked me if I'd want her to sign a prenup."

"A pre-nup? I know the bar is successful, but does she think you're a millionaire because of it?" I rolled my eyes. I mean seriously... "My mother always told me never to attach myself to someone for good looks or money because you never know when either might run out."

"It's not just the bar," he said quietly, like he was embarrassed to be talking about it. "And when she asked, I just told her I was never getting married, so she wouldn't have to worry about it. That pissed her off."

I was quiet for a minute and then asked, "What do you mean about it's not just the bar?"

"I think you don't realize how much money I really have, Sookie."

"I guess not." I sat back a little. "We don't have to talk about it. The state of your bank account is none of my business."

"I don't have a problem telling you if you want to know," he said. "I know you're not with me for my money."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but it's your decision. It's your money," I shrugged. I really didn't care. He could have been completely broke and I wouldn't have cared.

"You know how I got an inheritance from my dad?"

"Yeah. That's how you were able to open the bar, right?" I'd heard the story before. I knew there was an inheritance, but I had always assumed that Angela had gotten most of it. I never bothered to ask how much since it wasn't any of my business.

"Mom got the life insurance, but there was a separate amount for me. A lot of it was tied up so I couldn't access it until I was old enough. All in all, I'm sitting on close to two million dollars."

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything more intelligent than that to say for a few seconds.

"I don't really like for it to be known, and I'm not flashy with it. I used enough to get the bar going, but I've slowly been able to put that money back, and now I live off of the money from the bar. I don't really like touching it. I kind of see it as my retirement fund, or my big ass cushion. Recently I've been thinking of how it could come in handy for my kids' college education. You're being really quiet."

"I don't really know what to say," I smiled nervously. "I mean, the money is great and all, but look at what you had to lose in order to get it. It's got to be kind of hard to enjoy it when the price was so high."

Eric suddenly looked away from me, and I realized his eyes were welling with tears. The only thing I could think of to do was give him a hug.

"I'm sorry I never got to meet him," I whispered. "You should talk about him more."

"He probably would have loved you. But he'd be ashamed of the way my personal life turned out."

"Well, I never met your dad, but I'm willing to bet he'd be prouder of you for figuring things out. I think the real disappointment lies in knowing what you want out of life and never having the courage to go after it," I lightly scratched at the back of his neck.

Eric wiped his face with the palms of his hands, and offered me a small smile. "My dad was a diehard romantic. He used to tell me his and mom's story when we'd do stuff together. I'm... not happy about the way I got my money, Sookie. But I'm glad I haven't done anything stupid with it either. I know he'd be proud of that."

I kissed the corners of his mouth and said, "I think he has a lot of reasons to be proud of you."

"I don't know about that."

"Eric, come on, you're a good person. You run a successful business, you have friends, you take good care of your mother when she lets you... you're fun to be around and you put up with me," I smiled at him. "I think you need to lighten up on yourself."

"Maybe. I guess I just feel like I haven't done a lot of good. Loving you is a start though."

"Okay, so what else do you want to do? What do you think would make him proud of you that you haven't done yet?" I was prepared to write up a list for him, if necessary.

"I don't know, really. He was all about making an impact, and I haven't done that."

"So what's important to you? What do you really feel passionate about, besides my boobs," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Besides your boobs," he said with a smile, "I guess things like the Make-a-Wish Foundation. We had a waitress once who had a kid with CF, and she got a trip to Disneyland through them. I've never seen a happier kid."

"Well why not do a fundraiser night at the bar for the charity then?" I suggested.

"Pam said those are a waste of money."

"Fundraisers?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I think she just didn't want to organize one."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, I'll help you with it if you want to do it."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. When I did that cancer walk thing a couple of years ago I helped the team captain set things up. Besides, it's not like the charity is going to tell you to fuck off if you show up with a random check for them."

Eric cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly. "I can't say it enough."

"Say what?"

"That I love you."

I grinned and said, "I love you too. We can start planning this thing when we get back if you want. Memorial Day weekend might be a good time to do it, and the bar will be busier. Even if you just donate a portion of the proceeds for every drink sold, you could come up with a really big donation pretty quickly."

"That's a great idea. I should hire you. Oh, but then we couldn't be together."

"Sure we could. I would gladly put it in writing that you have my permission to sexually harass me whenever you want," I winked at him.

"Very nice," he grinned.

"We can talk about it more when we get back. Is there anything else you can think of that you'd like to do?"

"Not at the moment. I guess I just want to try more to be a good guy."

"You _are_a good guy, Eric. You don't need to try harder," I assured him.

"I don't know, I think I have some bad karma built up from being a whore."

"You weren't a whore," I argued and it bothered me that he thought of himself that way.

"I kinda was though."

"Stop."

"It's how I feel," he said.

I sighed and asked, "What am I going to do with you?"

"I don't know."

"I think from now on every time you call yourself a whore in my presence, I'm going to sleep in pajamas that night." I was going to break him of this habit. It really bothered me that he thought that way.

"I'll just use my skills from being a whore to seduce you out of them," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh you can try, but you know how stubborn I am."

"Yeah, I do."

"So it's settled then. No more whore talk or you go sexless."

"I can't help how I feel."

"Yes you can. You can change the way you think about yourself, Eric. This is all in your mind. Besides, even if you _were_ a whore, you're _my_ whore now," I rocked my hips against him.

"That's true," he smiled.

"Since I don't think I've ever experienced you in whore mode, you should probably show me what that's all about," I suggested and trailed kisses down his neck and kept moving my hips.

"I don't want to be that way with you. It's just meaningless sex, and I don't want that."

"So then what _do_ you want?"

"I want to be special for you," he said so sincerely that it made my heart ache a little

"You are," I smiled at him.

"See, I know that, I know you love me, and that you think I'm wonderful, but I have a hard time reconciling that with my own view of myself sometimes. I am a needy girlfriend."

"No, you're not. You're just not used to giving a shit," I kissed his forehead.

"Are you sure that's it?"

"I think that's a big part of it," I grabbed his hands and put them on my chest.

"Don't distract me with your boobs," he said, but a smile still broke out on his face.

I lifted an eyebrow and just to test him, I pushed his hands away.

"No, no, don't do that," he said, putting his hands right back on my chest.

"Yeah, I thought so," I leaned forward and kissed him. "Besides, maybe _I_ wanted the distraction."

"From what?"

"All that talking. I think we talked enough for one night, don't you?"

"Are you avoiding my emo self?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just trying to find a way to cheer you up. Boobs seem to be the quickest way."

"It's definitely a smart way to go. Another great way is a blowjob, but I'm not asking."

"Mmm... kiss me long enough and you won't have to," I offered, putting my hands on his on top of my chest.

"As you wish," he said, and commenced with the kissing.

I straddled Eric's lap, and let my hands move into his hair. My fingers grazed his scalp for a while until I got it into my head to give him a taste of his own medicine. I gripped the hair at the back of his head and moved him the way I wanted him. Eric didn't seem to mind that I was running the show, and he definitely didn't complain when I wrapped one of my hands around his cock and started stroking him.

Nor did he mind when I broke the kiss and pushed his head down to my chest. He was more than willing to suck on my nipples one at a time until they were hard and sensitive to the breaths he blew on them. My thumb swept over the head of his erection and gathered the little bead at the tip. I pulled his head up so he could watch me lick the moisture off my thumb.

"You look so fucking sexy when you do that," he said in a deep voice.

"What do you want, Eric?" I led his hand to my pussy, and he growled at how wet I was.

"I want to taste you," he said, and I let his fingers rub against my slit for a moment before putting those fingers to his lips.

He sucked them and then tried to go back for more, but I stopped him. "Not yet," I said and climbed off his lap.

I dropped down in front of him, positioning myself between his legs. "I love how hard you get for me, baby. I want to feel it here," I touched my throat and he groaned. "Do you want me to suck your cock, Eric?"

He nodded, touching my face sweetly and moving his hand up to my hair. I flashed him a devilish smile and then licked the length of his cock a few times before I resumed my stroking. Eric groaned when I moved to his balls and showed them a little love too. He hissed when my fingertip pressed lightly over the sensitive skin behind them, and his hips thrust up.

Eric's eyes were still unfocused when I moved my mouth to the tip of his cock to lick and suck on it. I had given my share of blowjobs in my life but it wasn't until Eric that I started to enjoy it. I didn't know what it was, exactly, that brought me around to the process. But then I looked up into his eyes and the way he was looking back at me made it all click. It was the power, and knowing that I was the reason he looked as beautiful as he did at that moment.

There was also the knowledge that he would reciprocate, but I wasn't doing it for payback. This was for him, the only way I could think of at the moment to both cheer him up and distract him from the thoughts in his head. Slowly I took him further into my mouth and when I felt him hit the back of my throat I started to swallow. I had never tried to deep throat someone before, but it felt like the right thing to do.

It was tricky, at first, and it made me gag a little, but the more I did it the easier it got. Eric was grunting and groaning, his hand resting on my head but not forcing it down.

"Fuck, Sookie!" He shouted the first time I managed to get all of him in my mouth.

I felt a sense of pride at being able to do it, and wondered if maybe I was the first one to do it. I swirled my tongue as much as I could before coming up for air. The whole thing was sloppy, wet and I had tears in my eyes from pushing myself to go further than I had before, but it was worth it when Eric's entire body shook and he came hard down my throat with a scream of his own.

He could own me sometimes, but it turned out I could own him too.

I kissed up the length of his cock after I released him, and his eyes were still starry. We were both gasping for air, and Eric was completely limp. He smiled a dopey smile and didn't even seem to have the strength to yank me up off my knees like I usually did.

"I really, really fucking love you," Eric said in a dreamy tone.

"I love you too, baby," I curled up at his side and rested my head on his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>Eric and his insecurity... *shakes my head* that whore thing really bugs the stuffing out of me, but Scribe has her feelings on the topic and she's responsible for Eric so there's nothing I can do about that. Do you guys think Eric was a whore? I'm curious to get your opinions on the matter. Things will be moving kind of quickly from this point on. We only have 11 chapters and an epilogue to go after this and there's still plenty of ground to cover. In some ways it may seem like they're moving fast, but then I remember that they aren't new to each other's lives. They have such a long history together, so it was like they started out on the fifteenth date instead of the first. Like Sookie said, this was more about growth and changing the way they see each other. So far I think they've done pretty well at it. New chapter tomorrow! Thanks for reading!<br>**


	26. Living of Love

Chapter 26: Living of Love

"_Say yes we live uncertainty and disappointments have to be. And every day we might be facing more. And yes we live in desperate times, but fading words and shaking rhymes there's only one thing here worth hoping for. With Lucifer beneath you and God above if either one of them asks you what your living of say love, say for me love."  
>–the Avett Brothers<em>

I was in the kitchen mopping the floor with the windows wide open and my music turned up. I didn't hear the front door open so I wasn't prepared for it when Eric snuck up on me and kissed my neck. I about jumped out of my skin, but he was used that.

"That's it. I'm getting you a bell," I narrowed my eyes but he could tell I wasn't really mad.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. You're too sneaky," I turned around and kissed him hello. "Sorry, I'm a mess right now. I thought you were going to be here later."

My house was in a bit of disarray. I had planned to have it all cleaned up and be showered by the time Eric came over. Unfortunately he was about three hours early.

"I got off work early and decided to come on over. I hope you don't mind. Besides, I like it when you're all sweaty."

"Shut up, I look gross. And no, I don't mind," I pulled away from him and went to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Have you thought any more about us coming out?"

"I have," I nodded and took a long drink of my water. "Have you?"

"Yeah. I want to for sure, but I'm not sure how we do that."

"I was thinking we should just say it. Everyone that really matters to either of us will be at Tara's Mom's house on Sunday. We could tell them then," I shrugged.

"That's a good idea. Mine involved you coming to the bar in nothing but a trench coat and fuck me shoes, and then us getting really loud in my office."

"Oh sure. Then Pam will want to join in," I smirked. "Besides, I don't even own a trench coat, so that wouldn't work."

"Thank you for effectively ruining that fantasy for me," he pouted.

"I'm sure I can come up with something to replace it," I winked and drank more of my water.

"I hope so. I'm starting to think you really just want to be with Pam."

"Oh hell no. I just like teasing you," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Well it's an instant boner deflater, so knock it off."

"I'm sorry," I closed the space between us and kissed his chin. "How was work?"

"It was good. I told Pam about the fundraiser and she flipped her tits."

"Did you tell her she doesn't have to lift a finger to get anything ready?" I pushed myself up onto the counter and drank some more of my water.

"Yes I did, and that's when she calmed down."

"Thank fuck. It's not my decision, but as far as I'm concerned she doesn't even need to be there that night. She'd probably just get in the way and bitch the whole time."

"Most likely," he laughed.

"So you picked a date then?" I set my water bottle aside and Eric moved so he was standing between my knees.

"Not yet. I wanted to clear it with you first."

"It's your bar, Eric. You pick the day, and I'll be there... with fuck me shoes on," I grinned.

"On a night benefiting a children's charity? That's naughty, Stackhouse."

"So then I shouldn't wear pigtails that night?" I asked and it was a good thing he wasn't drinking anything or I would have been wearing it.

"Fuck me," he said.

"So fuck me shoes, pigtails... maybe I'll wear my glasses that night, too," I smiled at him.

"And I'm officially sporting wood."

I looked down and said, "I see that."

Eric pulled me to the edge of the counter and rubbed up against me. Yep, definitely sporting wood. He kissed me rather sweetly and we were just starting to get to the really good stuff when his pocket started to vibrate against my thigh.

"Ugh. Someone better be on fire," I groaned and pulled back so Eric could take the call.

"It's my mom," he said, then answered. "Hey Mom."

I back off then, feeling weird about molesting him in any capacity when his mom was on the other end of the line. I liked Angela too much for her to inadvertently hear something she shouldn't.

"Tell her I say hi," I whispered.

"I'm at Sookie's. She says hi," he said, winking at me. "Mom says hi back."

I slipped off the counter, much to Eric's disappointment, and went to the living room to turn the music down. As soon as that was accomplished I went right back to the kitchen and hopped back up on the counter.

"No," Eric said to his mother. "Well Pam can kiss my butt! No, I don't care. We're doing it, and I'd appreciate her support, but she doesn't have to help."

Uh oh. That didn't sound good, but I kept quiet.

"You can talk to her until you're blue in the face, but it won't help. Yeah, I'll call you back later. Okay. Love you, Mom. Bye," he said, then hung up.

"What happened?" I asked when he set his phone on the counter.

"Pam bitched to mom about the fundraiser. I'm not sure why she's so fucking against it."

"With Pam, who knows. Maybe she's afraid we'll be trotting in sick kids to prop up on the bar to try and raise more money," I suggested with a roll of my eyes. Knowing Pam, that was entirely accurate.

"She is afraid of the little ones."

"Pam is ridiculous," I sighed. "What did she think your Mom was going do? I mean did she think Angela was going to call you up and tell you that you are forbidden from raising money for charity in your own bar?"

Sometimes I really, really found it difficult to like Pam.

"I _am _kind of a mama's boy, and Pam knows it."

"I want to kick Pam in the shin right now," I grumbled.

"Go right ahead," he smiled. "She's not gonna stop me."

I huffed and said, "I'm more pissed that because of Pam my mood is now shot. I think that's what's known as a karma fuck."

"Why do you deserve a karma fuck?"

"Because I was talking about Pam and... nope, not even going to say it," I shook my head.

"What?"

"Pam catching us in your office, remember?" I widened my eyes, hoping he would get where I was going.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"Yeah. See? Karma fuck," I pouted.

Eric pulled me into his arms and hugged me. "Let me deal with Pam. The fundraiser is happening regardless of her opinion."

"I know. I'm not pouting over that," I said.

"Why don't we go hop in the shower then? I'll get you back in the mood."

"Deal," I smiled and lifted my head to kiss him quickly.

"Allow me," he said, and swiftly picked me up and carried me back to my bathroom.

"Well this is different," I said since we were face to face and my legs were wrapped around him.

"How so?"

"I'm not used to being face to face with you like this," I said and then tried moving my hips against him. "I think I like it."

"I do too," he said.

"Usually there's a wall behind me and I don't have as many clothes on," I nibbled on his ear.

"Do you want to do it with clothes on?"

"That might be tricky in the shower."

"We could do it on the bathroom sink, then again in the shower."

"Ambitious are we?" I asked, even though I knew it had more to do with the fact that we hadn't been able to see each other the day before. I was stuck late at work and Eric couldn't get away from the bar. There was time to be made up for.

"You know I'm able," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you're going to have to prove it to me," I said as he set me down on the vanity beside the sink in my bathroom.

"Gladly," he grinned, his hands going right for his belt buckle.

**oOoOoOo**

It was the middle of April, and finally warm enough that I could get out my sundresses. After we finished in the shower, I went to my walk-in closet and picked one out. It was a simple red one with a black ribbon beneath the bust, and a bow that couldn't be untied was right under the girls. I pulled it on before Eric came out of the bathroom. Conveniently, I forgot to put on my underwear, but he wouldn't know that until later.

"Goddammit, Sookie," he groaned when he saw me.

"What?" I looked down, thinking there was something wrong with my dress.

"You're wearing red. We have to bang again," he said, and went for his pants. "Come on."

"Like waving a flag in front of a bull," I muttered quietly, but stopped him from taking his pants off. "Later. You just went a couple of rounds, killer. I need a break."

"When are they going to invent something that makes the vagina able to go for ten rounds before getting tired?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "I think you can wait until after dinner."

I swear it was like having an impatient toddler who didn't like being told he couldn't play with his favorite toy because the batteries died.

"Maybe I should get you a flesh light," I snorted.

"Hell no."

"It would do in a pinch when my lady business is closed," I smirked and bent to find the shoes I wanted.

"I'll stick to my hand, thank you."

"Suit yourself," I shrugged, although I doubt he could see it. I found the shoes I wanted at the back of my closet and brought them out with me. "So where do you want to go for dinner?"

"You can pick," he shrugged.

"How about somewhere outside since it's still nice out?" I suggested, and then grabbed a light sweater from my closet just in case. Once the sun was gone it would get much cooler outside. "Oh! Or we could get takeout, eat it in the car and then make out in the back seat like a couple of teenagers."

"How about Gene and Jude's?"

"Yes! Winner!" I grinned. I hadn't been there in months.

"Perfect," he smiled. "Let's get going then. There's gonna be a line."

"Ugh, yeah, I forgot about that. Oh well, it's worth it and the line moves quickly," I swapped the shoes I was planning to wear for a pair of flip-flops. I wasn't going to stand in line at Gene and Jude's for an hour or more in heels.

"No heels?" he pouted.

"Not if I'm standing in line for an hour. They might look pretty but they hurt my feet after a while," I grabbed my wallet and cell phone from my purse.

"What if I take you dancing after?"

I smiled and went back to the closet and grabbed my other shoes. "I can always put these on later if I need them."

"Good," he grinned.

After that we were out the door and headed for his car. Gene and Jude's was an institution growing up in my little hometown just outside of Chicago. Just a couple of miles from my childhood home was this little hot dog stand that served only three things when I was growing up: hot dogs, french fries, and soda. The menu had expanded to tamales since then, but that was about it. They didn't take credit cards and they gave customers hell if they ask for ketchup. Chicago style hot dogs _do not _come with ketchup. If you want it, bring your own.

We drove with the radio cranked up and the windows down, enjoying the sunset in the rear view mirrors as we drove east toward the city. As expected, the parking lot was packed when we got to the "restaurant," and there was a line out the door. Thank God I brought my sandals. The line moved quickly, but it would still be a while before we got served. Oh, and there aren't any tables. You either take the food home, or you eat in the car. Gene and Jude's is the epitome of no frills, but it's worth the wait.

We lucked into a parking space and held hands while we went in search of the end of the line. We were going to be waiting for a while.

"God it smells good out here," I took a deep breath.

"I haven't had one of these in forever," Eric said, patting his belly.

"Me either. I think the last time was the night before I left for Mexico since I slept over at my parents' house."

"It's been since way before then for me," he said. "I might order four."

"You seriously think you can eat _four_ of these?"

"I'm a lot bigger than you, sweetheart."

"I know, but damn," I laughed. The hot dogs automatically came with an order of fries piled on top. If Eric could eat four hot dogs _and _four orders of fries I didn't know if I'd be impressed or nauseous on his behalf.

"Okay, maybe just three."

"That sounds more logical," I said, although just thought of it made me cringe a little. No way was I putting down three of those at one time. "Or get two double dogs. That way you won't end up with all the extra fries."

"What would I do without you?" he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I leaned against him and said, "Order too much food."

"Clearly," he chuckled. "Besides, I want to be able to dance with you later."

"Yeah we haven't done that in a while either," I looked up at him, "unless we're naked."

"Which is way more fun, in this man's humble opinion."

"I agree," I giggled and then started rolling my neck. My back needed to crack. I hated that feeling. It was only a matter of time before I moved the right way and it happened, but until then it would just feel weird.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. My back needs to crack. It'll happen eventually," I shrugged.

"I'll give you a massage tonight."

"Yes please," I smiled just thinking about it.

"You have the best smile," he said, then dropped his head to kiss me. "Oh god."

"What?"

"I just realized that we're one of those shmoopy couples I used to despise."

"No we're not!" I laughed, but wondered if maybe he wasn't right.

"We totally are. I haven't taken my eyes off you the whole time we've been standing here, and we're talking about things we probably shouldn't talk about in public, and the PDA."

"And look how many fucks I give," I said with a grin. "But anytime you think you're in danger of losing your man card, just let me know."

"I don't think I am. I'm not ashamed of it, just surprised I'm one of those people now."

"It's amazing what a guy will do if there's the possibility of playing with boobs later," I snickered.

"This is true."

"Besides, it could be way worse. We could say I love you a thousand times a day, or constantly be calling each other to see what the other one is doing..."

"If I ever do that, please kill me."

"I think it'll be a murder/suicide," I wrapped an arm around his waist as we shuffled a little closer to the front of the line.

"For sure," he laughed.

It was another half hour before we got to the front of the line, and then another ten minutes before we got our food. The restaurant would continue to be just as packed until they closed up somewhere around 2:00 in the morning. Once we had our big sack of food we went back to the car to eat.

"Get in my belly!" Eric said as soon as we were in the car.

I grabbed the two hot dogs on top since they weren't doubles, and handed the bag over to Eric since the rest was his. "Here you go. If you eat all that, I will be impressed."

"Prepare to be impressed then."

"If it's possible to get pregnant from a smell, I'm having triplets," I said as I unwrapped my hot dog.

Eric snorted, and took a huge bite of one of his doubles, then groaned. "Oh my God. So good."

"Check you out making sex noises while you eat," I teased and peeled a pair of fries off the pile. I loved that they stuck together.

"This food is sex, Sookie."

"Who needs dancing? We can just eat this and that's all the foreplay we need."

"No, there will be dancing."

"Assuming you're not in a food coma," I peeled off more fries. Eric just went straight at it, while I ate my hot dogs in stages.

"I won't be," he insisted, then took another huge bite, finishing off his first one.

"Jesus, Northman, slow down or you're going to have to sit there and listen to me make sex noises while _I_ eat."

"I'll be too full to attack, it's fine," he said as he unwrapped his second double.

"I'll believe it when I see it," I said, and having finally peeled off enough of the fries to be able to bite into the hot dog, I finally took my first bite. "Oh sweet baby Jesus in his manger."

"Uh huh."

"Why do we not come here more?" I asked with my mouth full.

"I don't know, but we'll have to amend that."

"Definitely," I agreed. "It'll be easier since it's getting warmer outside."

"I can't wait to see more of you in these sundresses."

I smiled and took another bite of my hot dog. Just wait until he found out I wasn't wearing panties.

"I'm sure you will," I said after I swallowed.

"They'll come in handy when you come visit me at the bar," he grinned at me.

"And I haven't even pulled out the short dresses yet," I snickered and took another bite of my hot dog.

"This one isn't short for you?"

"Nope," I popped the 'p.' The dress I was wearing fell just above my knees. "You've seen my dresses before, Eric. You're not new."

"Yes, but now I don't want others seeing you in dresses that short."

I rolled my eyes and said, "You aren't going to turn into one of those psycho controlling boyfriends who monitors everything I wear, are you? Because I have a problem with that if you are."

"Hell no. I like that people will see what I have knowing that they can't have it, and I hope you feel the same way."

"I wear what I'm comfortable wearing, unless you put in a request for something special. Otherwise, it's all me. I'm not dressing up for anyone else," I shrugged.

"But what about me? Would you be okay with me wearing stuff that shows off my hot bod?"

"Eric, you can wear whatever you want. I'm not the fashion police. Besides, you're just... you're not the flashy type. For as long as I've known you, you've always been the button down and sweatervest guy. That's just who you are."

"I guess what I really want to know is if you'd be jealous of other women checking me out."

"I'm not usually a jealous person, but it would depend on the situation."

"Is it wrong that I'd like to see you be jealous?"

"No, I don't think so. I mean, certain amounts of jealousy or possessiveness in a relationship are normal, in my opinion. Some girls freak out about it, but I don't mind it as long as it's not all the time and you're not giving the hairy eyeball to every guy that so much as _glances _in my direction. The way I see it is that any girl who wants to flirt with you is just wasting her breath. I trust you enough to know you're not going to leave me for some meaningless hussy, so I don't need to worry about it. But if it makes you feel better I can totally come over and let the whore know your ass is mine."

He smiled. "I think I would like to see that. I'm excited to tell everyone."

"Me too," I said with my mouth full again and Eric shook his head at me. "It's not my fault you hoovered your way through your food in less than five minutes."

"Nope, but I did it. Please being impressed now."

"I'm very impressed. And quit staring at my fries. They're _mine_."

"You won't be able to finish them," he said.

"Yes I will," I argued. "I didn't eat lunch today."

"Dammit."

"I might be willing to trade though," I offered.

"For what?"

"Fries for... you fill in the blank."

"You give me your fries, and I'll buy you ice cream later."

I thought about it and then said, "Nah. I can buy my own ice cream. Try again."

"Are you angling for something sexual?"

"No!" I laughed. Of course his mind would go there. "But if you think you can give me something there I can't do myself..."

"Well you're getting laid tonight anyway..." he trailed off. "How about I promise to cook you whatever you want tomorrow."

"Whatever I want?" I asked as I opened the second hot dog.

"Yes," he said, practically drooling as he stared at my hot dog.

"Mmm... no," I lifted a fry and bit a little piece off the end.

"No?"

"No."

"Tease," he grumbled.

"Oh come on, Eric, I'm sure you can think of something. You're creative," I took another bite.

"I'll go down on you for an hour tonight."

That definitely had its appeal, but he would do that anyway if I let him. Frankly, that would be as much of a prize for him as it would be for me. Still, it seemed like a more than fair trade. I stuffed the fry in my mouth and then extended the hot dog in his direction.

"We have a deal, but you don't get _all _of them," I said.

"I fucking love you," he grinned, and pulled a fair amount of fries off.

"I love you too," I said and then started on hot dog number two.

I found it amazing that it never occurred to Eric to just go inside and order himself more food, but it was fine. Even without lunch I probably wouldn't finish both hot dogs and all the fries anyway. When I was done eating I threw our trash out and Eric started driving.

"So where to now?" I asked when we were stopped at a light on Grand Avenue.

"Dancing," he said. "Where would you like to dance at?"

"Would it be acceptable if I said your deck would be just fine with me?" I rested my head against the back of the seat. At the moment I was so stuffed that all I could think about was a nap.

"You don't want to go somewhere and get all hot and sweaty and drink alcohol?"

"I can't do that on your deck?" I let my head roll in his direction.

"I wanted to show you off though," he pouted.

"Fine," I sighed. "Why not the Underpass? It's right up the street."

"Are you mad?"

"No, I'm just gestating a food baby," I patted my very full stomach.

"We can go back to my house, I don't mind. Are you staying over? Should we go get Sully?"

"Your choice, and we don't have to go home already. We can go to the Underpass for a while. Besides, if I have a few drinks I promise to let you take advantage of me," I smiled at him.

"I already get to as part of the deal, remember?"

"Oh yeah," I closed my eyes and Eric turned into the parking lot. "Well, at least now you know you have permission to take advantage of me so you don't get all freaked out like you did in Mexico."

"I didn't get freaked out."

"You _so _did! It was cute, though."

"I'm not _cute._"

"Okay, adorable then." I traded my flip-flops for my heels.

"I'm not that either."

"Yes you are," I said and got out of the car.

"No, I'm not," he complained as he got out too. "I'm manly, and sexy, and hot."

"Yes you are... and adorable," I said and made a run for the door of the bar.

"You're gonna think adorable tonight," he said as he came after me.

"I think you're adorable all the time!" I called out over my shoulder and pulled the door of the bar open.

"Brat."

"You love me," I said when he caught up to me.

"Yes I do," he said, and kissed me on the cheek.

We went up to the bar and I ordered us a round of drinks. We found a table since it was still relatively early. I knew of the bar since it wasn't too far from Tara and JB's house but I had never been inside before. There were a couple of pool tables and a bank of dart boards along the back wall. After we finished our first round of drinks Eric bought the second and we took them to the dance floor with us.

"Your bar is better," I told Eric while we danced.

"Of course it is."

"The owner is definitely sexier," I smiled at him and drained my drink.

"Do you know the owner of this one?"

"I went to high school with his wife."

"Seriously? So I'm definitely hotter?"

"Absolutely," I said and turned around so my back was to his chest, and wondered how long it would take his roaming hands to figure out I wasn't wearing anything under my dress.

His hands went to my hips and pressed me against him as we moved to the music, but he still didn't seem to notice anything was amiss. A couple of shots of tequila (he quit after two since he was driving us home) and a whole bunch of dancing later, Eric got his wish. I was hot and sweaty and a little drunk. He still hadn't noticed my underwear was missing. I was shocked.

"If we were at home right now you'd be getting a lapdance," I giggled and rubbed up against him.

"Then let's get you home."

"It won't be much of a tease, I'm afraid," I moved his hands up my sides.

"Why is that?"

I pulled his head down so my lips were close to his ear and I said, "Because I'm not wearing underwear."

Yep, I was drunk.

"Seriously?" he asked, and his hands shamelessly moved down to my ass. "Oh my fucking god."

"I told you. I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out. I must be losing my touch," I sighed.

"Have you not been wearing them all night?"

"Since I got dressed after our shower. I told you I wanted to make out in your back seat. You would have found out sooner if we hadn't come here," I rubbed against him in time with the music.

"Well fuck me," he grumbled.

"Not in public," I snickered.

"Let's get out of here."

"What's the hurry? I'll still not be wearing panties in an hour," I bumped him with my ass.

"The hurry is that I have a promise to deliver."

"That's true," I said and he immediately took my hand and started pulling me off the dance floor.

"Let's get you home," he said. "I'm hungry."

"How can you be hungry? I'm still full from dinner," I followed him out the door.

"Different kind of hunger, sweetheart."

"Ice cream?" I giggled and almost tripped on a crack in the parking lot. Thankfully, my sober tree of a boyfriend didn't let me face plant.

"Nope," he said as he caught me. "I'm taking you to my house, and I'm going to put my head under your dress and enjoy you for an hour."

"I love a man with a plan," I giggled as he put me in the car. I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the dashboard. Of course my skirt fell so that it just barely kept my lady parts covered.

"Jesus," he groaned.

"What?" I looked down and moved my skirt around a little, trying to see what the big deal was.

"You should touch yourself," he said.

"Oh yeah?" I kept my knees together but spread my feet a little. "Where should I touch myself?"

The car started but Eric didn't put it in gear right away.

"You know where."

"Here?" I trailed my fingers up my calf.

"Higher."

"Here?" I touched my knee, and then started giggling when it tickled.

"Higher."

"Here?" My other hand snaked into the neckline of my dress.

"Lower," he growled.

I left my hand in my dress and lifted the other one to my stomach. "Here?"

"Touch your pussy, Sookie," he said firmly.

"Why didn't you just say that before?" I smirked and moved my hand lower, putting it right where he told me to.

"How does it feel, sweetheart?"

"Hot. Wet." I moaned, and looked over at him.

"Tell me what you're thinking about."

"Your fingers. This feels so much better when you do it," I bit my bottom lip.

"Well I'm driving, and I think that would be too much of a distraction, as much as I want to help you out."

Apparently alcohol brought out the minx in me a little more than usual, and I held my hand out to him. "Want a taste?"

"Yes," he groaned, and opened his mouth to suck on my fingers.

I took my fingers back and then let my left foot fall to the floor, adjusting my skirt so he could see what I was doing when my hand settled between my thighs again.

"Fuck, I'm going to crash if you keep that up."

"I'm just doing what you told me to," I gasped and lifted my hips a little.

Eric swerved a little, cursed, then slowed down. "That is too fucking sexy."

"Want me to stop?" I asked and my hips rolled. My other hand was back in the top of my dress.

"We're almost home. Keep going."

I kept my eyes trained on Eric while my fingers moved over my clit, and then down further until they were pressing into me. I teased myself, mostly, getting close to an orgasm but then backing myself down before I actually fell over the cliff. Eric watched me at the stop lights and I removed my left hand from my dress and put it in his lap instead.

We were three blocks away from his house.

"What do you want me to do to you when we get there?"

"Mmm... bend me over the couch and have your way with me," I moaned loudly. He needed to drive faster or I wasn't going to be able to hold back.

"And do you want that before or after your hour?"

"Before. I'm greedy," I groaned as we pulled into his driveway.

"Thank fuck. I didn't think I could last an hour without fucking you."

"Yes you could," I lifted my fingers to my mouth and sucked on them like they were something else Eric would probably love for me to have my lips wrapped around at that moment.

"Why are you so fucking sexy?"

"To drive you crazy, obviously," I barely got the words out before he was pulling my mouth to his to kiss him.

"Let's go, sweetheart," he said, and pulled me from the car and into the house.

And because I was drunk and couldn't help myself I crooned, "Skin on skin... let the love begin!"

Eric burst into laughter, and pulled me against him to kiss me again.

"Know what I think?" I asked as we shuffled into the house.

"What?" he asked.

"I think when you ravage me for an hour, you should tie me up first," I giggled and found myself pressed up against the nearest wall.

"Do you have any idea how fucking hot that sounds?" he growled.

"Why do you think I suggested it?" I pulled him closer by his waist. "Will you do it?"

He'd never tied me up before. This would be a first for us.

"Only if you're totally okay with it. And only if we have a safe word."

"I am. My safe word can be..." I looked around looking for something and said, "calendar."

"Perfect," he grinned. "Now bend over the couch so I can fuck you properly first."

"Yes sir," I sauntered over to the couch and did as he asked. I looked over my shoulder and asked, "Should I leave my shoes on?"

"Yes. They put your ass at just the right height," he said. His hands began to caress said ass under my dress.

"Good. Now fuck me like you mean it," I winked at him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said and I heard his zipper go down.

* * *

><p><strong>I swear on a stack of Bibles that they <em>are<em> going to tell their friends and family they're a couple. That chapter is coming. I forget if it's the next one, or the one after that, but it's happening. Also, Gene's & Jude's is a real place in River Grove, and they will seriously ridicule you if you ask them for ketchup. There's a McDonald's next door and they started charging walk-ins who would ask just for ketchup, not that I blame them. When I told Scribe this before she came to visit, I don't think she took me seriously. We had to stop to get cash before we went there since they don't take anything but cash for payment, and Scribe bought a bottle of ketchup while we were at the grocery store. It was actually kind of hilarious. Then we get to Gene & Jude's and she saw all of the NO KETCHUP signs all over the place. There's a great video going around on youtube right now called "Things You Hear Chicagoans Say" that I'll post to my tumblr because it's all true. I laughed my ass off when Scribe sent me the link. Also, in case you're wondering where that "skin on skin, let the love begin" line comes from, it's from a video review of the most recent Twilight movie and when I heard it I just about fell off my chair I was laughing so hard. I'll see if I can dig that up and put that on my tumblr as well because the review completely mocks Twilight for all of its fuckery. Thanks for reading!**


	27. Baby Baby

Chapter 27: Baby, Baby

"_Baby, baby I'm taken with the notion to love you with the sweetest of devotion. Baby, baby my tender love will flow from the bluest sky to the deepest ocean. Stop for a minute. Baby I'm so glad you're mine, yeah. You're mine." –Amy Grant_

There was a small mountain of presents piled up on Eric's kitchen table. I was cleaning up my wrapping paper scraps when he came into the room and groaned from behind me.

"Don't start," I said without turning to face him. So what if half of the gifts were of the stuffed animal variety?

"Does the baby really need all this stuff?" he asked.

"Stifle yourself, Northman," I glared at him.

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous about us coming out."

"Why? It's not like we're going to break up because our friends can't get on board with it, right? Besides, I think the only one who'll really have a problem with it is Amelia. Well, and maybe Ginger," I laughed at the thought of what Ginger's face was going to look like when she found out.

"Oh man, Ginger is going to hate you. As for Amelia, I don't know what the fuck her problem is with me, but she can get over it."

"I think she secretly wants to fuck you," I said and reached for the coffee pot for a refill.

"Are you serious? She's never hit on me that I know of."

"That doesn't mean anything. I think you're the guy she'd sleep with and keep as her dirty little secret," I took a seat at the table.

"Well I wouldn't sleep with her. She's so not my type. Too bitchy."

"And not in the cute way like me," I smirked over my coffee mug. "Oh! And Sam will be there too."

"I actually feel kind of bad about that one."

"You didn't in Mexico. What's changed?"

"Now that I have you, I guess I just know what I took from him, even if he never had a chance."

"Awww look how cute you are," I blew kisses at him and he glared at me. "He had plenty of time to make a move and he never did. I'm just glad I haven't seen him around the bar quite so much since we got back from Mexico."

"Me too."

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stop by my parents' house and talk to them before we go over to Tara's mom's house," I said nervously. I was a little apprehensive about how my parents were going to react. They were still protective after the Alcide breakup.

"That's fine with me. It'll probably be better that way."

"Yeah... my parents might give you a hard time," I took a big drink of my coffee.

"I can take it," he smiled, then his smile faded. "Wait, what if they don't like us together?"

"Initially, they may not, but I think as long as they know I'm happy and things are going well between us they'll come around. They're just a little more... selective, I guess is the word, about who they like after what I went through with Alcide," I explained.

Eric knew my parents, obviously. They weren't all that close, but the Eric they knew wasn't interested in a girlfriend, let alone marriage or children. It would be easy for them to assume that this was just a passing fling for both of us, when in reality, it had been given a violent shove into serious with Eric's epiphany that he loved me.

"And your mom knows I never have a girlfriend long. Fuck, they're going to hate us together."

"That's not exactly true," I got up from the table and stuck my head in the fridge to figure out what I wanted for breakfast. Oh, and to hide from Eric.

"You're lying."

"Lying about what?" I didn't turn around. And why wasn't the fridge making me invisible?

"You know what," he said. "What are we going to do if they hate me?"

"They won't hate you, Eric. They'll probably be skeptical and Mom will think _I've_ gone off the reservation. I'm prepared for her to start talking about how she'll never have grandchildren and I'll end up an old spinster who dies of a broken heart, or some such nonsense. Besides, she knows you've had a girlfriend before."

"_A_ girlfriend, Sookie. One serious one, and it wasn't even fucking serious. Jesus, they're going to make us break up or something."

"Calm your tits, Eric. I'm almost thirty. The time for them to tell me who I can and can't date is way beyond its expiration date. Once they know that I'm happy and you're not just trying to get in my pants all the time," I smirked because let's face it, he totally was, "they'll back off and it'll be fine."

"Well for one, I am always trying to get into your pants. For two, your parents' approval means a lot to me."

"And I'm sure you'll get it. Telling them in their own home and not in front of a crowd will go a long way to help that," I assured him. My parents were pretty cool about most things, but there were some where they were a little more traditional. "Besides, you haven't told _your _Mom yet."

"Want to stop by there after your parents are done hating me?"

"Come here," I closed the fridge and held my arms out to him. He walked over and I hugged him tightly. "Listen to me, Eric. Just keep being as good to me as you are right now and my parents won't have a single reason to complain about us being together, okay? It'll be fine. And hey, at least you're not Pam."

He snorted. "That's true. I think they were holding out for one of their kids to not end up with a Northman though. Even though she's a Ravenscroft."

"Well, even if they don't love you right away, I still do." I squeezed him tightly.

"So we're standing firm today," he said, squeezing me back.

"Of course we are. And I may need you to stand between Angela and me when you tell her we're seeing each other so she doesn't try to feel me up to see if I'm pregnant with your baby already," I said in a serious tone, and yet he laughed.

"It's sad how right you are."

"I think it's sweet that she'll be so excited. For all I know, my parents might surprise me and not be total trolls about this," I smiled up at him. "Mostly I'm excited about Ginger finding out though. I really don't like her at all."

"I kind of am too," he grinned. "I want to see how red her face gets."

"I want to see how many derogatory names she calls me before Mrs. Thornton throws her out of the house for taking the Lord's name in vain one too many times," I snorted, knowing there was no way Ginger had ever met Tara's mother before.

"You really think she'll go off on you in front of everyone?"

"I think she's more likely to grab your junk and try to get you to change your mind about settling for a fat girl," I snorted.

"She thinks you're fat? What the fuck is with people these days? You're not fucking fat!"

"I know that. I don't think I am either, just for the record, but compared to Ginger... well, I mean, she's five foot nothing and I think she still buys her clothes in the children's department, if I'm being honest. Compared to her, _everyone_ is fat, including Pam," I pointed out.

"She does have the body of a twelve year old boy."

I tried not to laugh and lost. Miserably.

"That's awful, but it's true," I gasped for air.

"Glad you find it funny," he laughed. "You, however, have the body of a fucking goddess."

I could have argued with him since I didn't quite see it that way, but I figured if I did he would just go about undressing me and showing me why I was wrong. If we had more time, I would have happily gone down that road. As it was, we needed to get moving if we were going to stop by my parents' house.

"Thank you," I leaned up and kissed him.

"You're welcome. What about me? Do I resemble the statue of David or what?"

"You're a little too Nordic for that, sweetie, but you've got that sexy Thor thing working for you."

"Fuckyes. Maybe that's what we should name my cock."

"Ha! I think we should stick with Princess Sophia," I teased.

"That's not happening," he laughed. "Thor it is. Now make me breakfast, woman." And to add to his caveman order, he slapped me on the ass.

I lifted an eyebrow and said, "Fine. Oatmeal with raisins coming right up."

"No thank you. Thor needs eggs and meat to stay big and strong."

"Funny," I reached between us and grabbed his cock. "I thought Thor needed hands and lips for that."

"Woman," he groaned. "If we start this now, we won't make it anywhere on time."

"Good point," I removed my hand and there was a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. I went back to the fridge and bent over to get the eggs and bacon from the bottom shelf.

"What time do you want to get to your parents house?"

I looked over my shoulder to see that it was just before eleven. The get together at Mrs. Thornton's started at two, so one would be more than enough time for us to talk with my parents and then walk down to the other end of the block for the party.

"I think one is more than enough time," I put the eggs and bacon down on the counter.

"Okay. So, breakfast, shower, possible quickie in shower, and then we go."

"I already showered. You'll just have to take care of yourself," I grabbed a skillet from one of the cabinets.

"Dammit, you cockblocked us."

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis? Did you forget the way you woke me up this morning?" I asked and put the pan on the stove to start heating.

"No," he said heatedly. "It's just that if we're not fucking, we're being cockblocked."

"You'll just have to wait until we get home later. I don't have time to dry my hair, redo my makeup and all that other girly crap. How do you want your eggs? Wait, I'm sorry. How does _Thor_ want his eggs?"

"Scrambled with cheese, please."

"Coming right up. Why don't you go upstairs and shower, and by the time you come back down everything will be ready?" I suggested.

"Okay," he said, and bent to kiss me. "I'll miss you so much while we're apart, my love!"

"You're getting mushy on me, Northman. Man up," I nudged him with my hip.

"You love me," he said, and headed up the stairs.

"Yes I do!" I called out after him.

A few seconds later I heard the water start overhead. I debated for all of five seconds before pulling the skillet off the heat, turning off the stove and going upstairs. I pinned my hair up and decided if I had to fix my face, I could probably do that in the car. Eric was humming something, but I didn't know what musical it belonged to, and I stripped off my clothes. I waited until he was washing his hair before sneaking into the shower with him.

"Changed my mind," I grabbed his ass.

"I knew you couldn't resist the power of Thor," he grinned down at me.

"Okay, it's really weird that you have officially named your cock," I couldn't help laughing. "And don't get my hair wet. In fact, don't get anything above my jaw wet."

"I can't even kiss you then," he pouted.

"If you're going to pout I'm leaving," I warned him.

"Then turn around and put your hands on the wall," he said, and dropped to his knees.

I didn't do it fast enough, apparently, since he did it for me. Well, at least the turning around part. "Where do you want my hands, Eric?" I left them on either side of my head, pressed flat against the wall.

"Right there is perfect," he said.

**oOoOoOo**

We made it to my parents' house with ten minutes to spare. Eric parked across the street in one of the empty mall parking spaces. Living across the street from the Harlem Irving Plaza had been somewhat dangerous when I was a teenager. My girlfriends and I spent hour after hour there, window shopping and flirting with the security guard at the arcade that used to be there. He was a total rent-a-cop, but we were teenagers.

The houses on my block had changed a lot since I was a kid. In the last ten years especially, additions had popped up all over the place. A few people had gotten permits to put in driveways instead of using the alley behind the garages. My parents had no interest in a garage since their yard was small, and the amount of space between lots was next to non-existent. The neighbors to the right of us had put in a driveway, however, and immediately regretted doing it. I loved that my parents' house had remained the same since the addition they had put in back in the late eighties, and it was at the back of the house so it wasn't noticeable from the street.

"Jason and I used to sneak in and out through the basement door when we were younger," I reached for Eric's hand as we crossed the street.

"What did you sneak out for?"

"Parties, just to hang out with friends... to hang out with Alcide after curfew..." I admitted.

"Ahh. Nice to know you've moved up in the world."

"You hush!" I playfully slapped his arm. "Besides, once my parents got wise to it, thanks to Jason coming drunk one too many times, they changed the lock downstairs and didn't give us a key so that was the end of that."

"Drat. No more late nights with cuntface."

"Eric!" I looked at him with shock on my face.

"What? I've called him that in my head for so long. I'm just saying what I've been thinking."

"Well, his mother could be within hearing distance, so cut it out," I squeezed his hand and we walked up the front steps to the house. "You ready to go in?"

He took a deep breath and let it out. "As I'll ever be."

"It's going to be okay, I promise," I stretched up and kissed him softly. He smiled at me and I opened the front door. "Mom? Dad? Anyone home?"

"Kitchen!" Mom shouted back at me.

"I hope you don't mind, but Eric's with me!" I called and tugged on his hand to get him to follow me. "Ignore the hunter green carpet and awful wood paneling. Daddy isn't a big fan of change."

"Eric's here?" Mom asked and suddenly appeared in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen. "Oh hi there! Why didn't you tell me Eric was coming too?"

"Well, because there's something I need to talk to you about and I didn't want you to come up with a reason why we couldn't do it," I smiled at her.

"Uh huh," Mom eyed me suspiciously. "How are you, Eric?"

"I'm doing great, ma'am," he said, and I could hear the nervousness in his voice. He never called my mother ma'am.

"Ma'am? Since when do you call me 'ma'am'? Michele will be fine," Mom is on to him; I know she is. "What's going on here? Eric's calling me formal names and you two... are holding hands?"

"Eric and I are dating, Mom," I just blurted it out. There wasn't much point in beating around the bush or trying to sugar coat it. Either she was going to take it well or she wasn't, and there was no amount of fancy words that would change it.

"About time. So, can I get you something to drink?" Mom asked and went back to the kitchen.

I'm not sure who was more shocked, Eric or me.

"Uh, Mom..." I followed her into the kitchen and Eric followed me. "You heard me, right? Eric and I are dating."

"Yes, honey, I heard. I think it's great," she said with a smile and I looked over at Eric, who was clearly as stunned as I was.

"You're okay with this?" I was afraid I was pushing my luck, that any moment I was going to wake up and be back in Eric's car or something.

"Why wouldn't I be? Eric owns his own successful business and his own home. He's been your friend for the better part of a decade and I know for a fact he takes good care of his mother, which means he probably takes good care of you too. I have no reason to complain, as long as you're happy. Tea?" Mom held up a pitcher.

Seriously. What the fuck was happening?

"Michele," Eric began. "First of all, thank you for the compliments. But are you sure this isn't just one of those things where the parents say they're okay with it so that they don't push their child away?"

"You're welcome," Mom smiled and started pouring tea since neither of us had answered her. "Sookie is a big girl, capable of making her own decisions; although I admit I questioned her judgment when she started dating that Mr. Clean clone a few months ago."

"Mom!" My cheeks flamed and Eric chuckled beside me.

"Well honestly, Sookie, what did you think was going to happen with him?" she shook her head and looked at Eric. "Look, I know that you don't have the best track record when it comes to women," Mom continued and Eric hung his head a little at that, so I squeezed his hand in reassurance. "As far as I'm concerned, as long as it doesn't bother Sookie, it doesn't bother me. You are both adults and if my baby's happy, then I'm happy. Just don't fuck her over or Corbett will make sure they never find your body."

"Yes ma'am," he nodded. "And for the record, I don't intend to. I love your daughter very much."

"Love?" Mom's head jerked up from the cake she'd started frosting during her little diatribe. "How long has this been going on, Susannah?"

Uh oh. I knew her good mood was too good to be true.

"Since Mexico?" I offered sheepishly.

"Three months..." Mom trailed off with a shake of her head. "Do you love him back?"

"Yeah, Mom, I do," I smiled at Eric.

"We're sorry we didn't tell anyone sooner, we just wanted to make sure it was going to last first," Eric contributed, though I wasn't sure that was going to help.

"I wish you would have told me sooner," Mom sighed, but she looked to Eric and continued, "but I suppose I understand why you kept it under your hats. I take it Angela doesn't know, or she would be planning your engagement party and baby shower."

"Yeah, that's another reason we didn't tell anyone. But, we're coming out with it today. We just wanted to tell you first."

"Tara is the only other person who knows. Pam thinks she knows," I snickered.

"Pam thinks she knows everything," Mom rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, she does," Eric laughed.

"Well, give me a head's up before you tell Angela so I can put in my earplugs," Mom snickered. She liked Angela, but the enthusiasm could be overwhelming when she got excited.

"Ha! Will do," Eric promised.

"Where's Daddy?" I asked when I didn't hear him moving around overhead, or in the back room watching TV.

"On the job, where else?" Mom put the dome over the cake on it's pedestal. "Besides, he doesn't want to go to a baby shower. We all know the only reason Jason is going is because Pam had his man parts turned into earrings while they were on their honeymoon."

"Mom!" I laughed anyway.

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"If she did, I don't ever want to see them," I squeezed my eyes closed and thought of puppies and rainbows. _Much better_.

"You two should come for supper one night this week," Mom suggested, and that brought me back to a testicle-free reality.

I looked to Eric to see what he thought, since he was the one who would be interrogated. Mom would get me on the phone later and really let me have it.

"I think that sounds great," Eric smiled.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go upstairs and change. I'll see you two at Mrs. Thornton's," Mom said and paused when she got to Eric and me. "Be good to my baby or I'll hire Pam to make jewelry of your bits too," Mom patted Eric's shoulder and squeezed past us.

Eric looked down at me and mouthed, "Holy shit."

"You okay?" I leaned against the doorway once Mom was safely upstairs changing her clothes.

"Your mom is scary," he said.

"That was nothing. If you think I'm crazy a few days before Hell Week starts, well... let's just say I look like Marcia Brady on a Davy Jones high next to that woman."

"Jesus. I'm glad I'm in love with you then."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Mom's okay with that, too," I smiled up at him, and then glanced over at the clock on the microwave. "Sooo... we have a half hour before the party starts. What do you want to do until then?"

"Catch my mom before she goes in so we can tell her without damaging anyone's eardrums?"

"Ha! Good idea," I said and turned for the living room.

"I'm happy that went so well," Eric said, grinning from ear to ear. "It's a huge relief."

"She took it way better than I thought she would, to be honest," I confessed as we walked out the front door. "Daddy may not be so cool with it, but then again Daddy is too polite to say anything about it. He gets that from Gran."

"Maybe your mom could convince him we're good together."

"Daddy's a pretty good judge of character. He's used to it because of the job and all that. If he's not on board with it right away, he will be in his own time," I shrugged. "He didn't like Alcide at first either, if that makes you feel any better."

"So he's just protective."

"Mostly."

"Are you nervous to tell my mom?"

"No, not really. If she'd been throwing daggers at me with her eyes it'd be another story," I said as we walked out of the house and down the front steps. "Are _you_ nervous to tell her?"

"Only because she's going to start calling me every day just to ask if I've popped the question yet, and offer me the engagement ring my dad gave her."

"Awwww she's adorable... like you. That must be where you get it from," I raised our joined hands and kissed the back of his.

"Probably," he smiled. "And just so I know, are you cool with the idea of an engagement ring being used, or do you want a brand new one?"

"I uh, I haven't given it much thought, to be honest."

"Oh, okay."

"But Eric," I pulled on his hand to get him to stop walking. He turned so we were face to face. "Because that 'used' ring would be the one your father gave your mother, and I know how important they are to you. I would be honored if you ever gave it to me."

He smiled down at me, then kissed me sweetly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, even though I wasn't really sure what he was thanking me for. Did he really think I would be heartless enough to chastise him for giving me something that I knew was valuable to him?

"Let's get down there and talk to my mom."

We walked down the block together and it was easy to tell which house belonged to Tara's mother since there were silly storks sticking up out of the lawn and blue balloons were tied to the railings on either side of the front steps. Eric and I stood on the sidewalk watching the cars pass and clouds move overhead. The smell of barbecue smoke was suddenly in the air, and was rising from Mrs. Thornton's backyard.

A horn honked behind us and we turned to see Angela's shiny, pearl white car pull around the corner and park. I was surprised Tara had invited her as well, but they had certainly spent enough time chatting at Eric's bar over the years to get to know one another. I took a deep breath and followed Eric over to where Angela was getting out of her car.

"Hey Mom," he said, and stooped to give her a hug.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, hugging him back. "Can you help me get the presents out of the trunk. I may have overdone it. Hello, Sookie."

"Hi," I waved and stayed right where I was on the sidewalk while Eric helped his mother.

"Actually, before we carry this stuff in, Sookie and I need to tell you something," Eric said, and Angela gasped.

"Oh my goodness," she said. "Just tell me, please tell me."

"Why would you just assume it's that, Mom?" Eric asked, rolling his eyes.

"It isn't? When are you two going to see what I see?"

"Uh, what do you see?" I asked nervously, looking back and forth between Eric and Angela.

"That you two are perfect for each other, and will give me beautiful grandbabies," she sighed.

"See, Eric, you _do_ get your adorableness from her," I teased him.

"Yes, I do," he smiled.

"Okay, you two need to fill me in now," Angela said, looking back and forth between Eric and I curiously.

"Mom," Eric began. "Sookie and I are dating, we have been for three months, and we love each other."

The noise that came from Angela was something that I'm sure most dogs in the neighborhood could only hear.

"Does that mean she's happy in sonar?" I asked Eric when the squealing stopped.

"Yes," Eric laughed.

"You two have made me so happy," she said, and gave Eric a hug, then wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm glad you're okay with it," I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Have you talked about getting married?"

"Mom!"

"What? I want grandbabies!"

"We've talked about it briefly," I admitted and Eric's eyes went a little wide. "Well we have."

"Yes, we have, but we've only talked, Mom. It's too soon for that, but we promise that if and when it happens, you'll be the first to know."

"Well it better happen," she said. "Sookie, just know that I love you, and would be proud to call you my daughter."

"That's sweet of you, Angela," I smiled at her, not wanting to further foster any hopes of Eric and I getting married just in case that didn't happen.

"Alright, let's get these presents inside," Eric said, and lifted a good sized stack from the trunk. "Jesus Mom, you're as bad as Sookie."

"Just wait until _you _have a kid, Eric. This will look like nothing," I snorted, then realized the implications of what I'd said. Stupid brain filter was on the fritz again.

"Have you two talked about kids too?" Angela asked with so much hope in her voice.

"Mom... cool your jets," Eric said.

"Fine, fine," she sighed.

"Here, let me help you with some of that," I offered and stepped forward to grab a few of the wrapped boxes that Eric was carrying. He almost looked like a pack mule with all the bags hanging off his arms. Angela really had gone all out.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"You're welcome," I said and tried to ignore the cooing coming from the woman who was probably counting down the seconds until she was officially my mother-in-law.

"Sorry about my mom," Eric whispered to me. "And just so you know, I'm apologizing for everything she may do in the future too."

"I think it's sweet that she wants to be involved in your life," I shrugged, "you don't need to apologize for her."

"I'm glad you like her and she likes you at least. She hated Isabel."

"That isn't surprising," I said as we walked around to Mrs. Thornton's backyard.

"She said she didn't have birthing hips," he snorted. "I never knew if she was serious or not."

"Ohmygod no she didn't!" I burst out laughing.

"She did!"

"That is absolutely hilarious," I said as I set the pile of gifts down on one of the tables set up in the yard.

"That's my mom."

"If you give me your keys, I'll go back to the car and grab the gifts," I offered, knowing my pile wasn't nearly as bad as Angela's.

"I can help," he said.

"No, it's okay. Stay here and talk to your Mom. I'll be right back," I held out my hand for his keys.

"Alright," he said, and handed them over. "See you in a few."

I took his keys and headed off for his car. I got about as far as two houses down before Angela was calling out to me. I stopped and turned to see her practically skipping toward me.

"Hey, what can I do for you?" I asked as she got closer.

"I just wanted to talk to you," she said. "About you and Eric."

"Oh, sure," I smiled at her and she linked her arm through mine like we were old girlfriends, which, I suppose in some odd way we sort of were. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you happy?"

"Very. Eric is a much better boyfriend than I ever thought possible," I told her.

"Good. I'd have to kick his ass if he didn't treat you right. I was so stressed when he was with that last girl, Isabel." She said Isabel's name like something gross was in her mouth.

"So was he," I snickered, but didn't offer any further details on the subject since it wasn't my place to do that.

"I could tell," she said. "A mother knows, and that little whore made him miserable, pardon me for being crass. She wanted his money, but he was so, so unhappy with her."

"He was," I agreed, but refrained from talking trash. Even if I agreed with everything Angela was saying, there just wasn't any point to talking smack about the old girlfriend. She didn't matter anymore anyway.

"That's why I always rooted for you two. There was just always something about the way he was with you, and the way he looks at you. It reminds me of how his father looked at me."

"That means a lot, hearing that. Eric doesn't talk about his dad very much, but I know hearing that would mean a lot to him, too," I smiled at Angela with a hint of sadness. "I'm sorry I'll never get to meet him."

"I'm sorry too. He would have adored you, sweetheart," she said, and her smile mirrored mine.

I opened the trunk of Eric's car and started pulling little gift bags out. Angela made an impressed noise beside me and I said, "You didn't think I wasn't going to spoil my Godsons, did you? Eric gave me so much shit for all of this."

"He's just like his dad," she laughed. "He always said there was no point in buying babies so much stuff when they preferred a wooden spoon and a metal bowl."

"Maybe, but a baby can't cuddle a wooden spoon," I shrugged and pulled the rest of the gifts from the car. "Besides, until I have kids of my own, I'll settle for spoiling Tara's rotten."

"That's a good way to be. Are you hoping for children one day?"

Ah, there it was. I knew it was coming.

"Yeah, I am," I said and left it at that. I doubted Angela would, though.

"With my son?"

"With Eric being Eric, I haven't really given that too much thought yet. He spooks easily, so I've tried to take it slowly with him," I said as gently as I could and closed the trunk of the car.

"I have to tell you, Sookie, he said you've been together three months, right?"

"Yeah we uh, we started... things changed in Mexico," I said and my stupid cheeks flamed up on me.

Angela smiled knowingly at me, but didn't try to embarrass me further. "Well, I could tell something had changed for him, and it was for the better. He's been so much happier than I've ever seen him, and I know now that it's because of you."

"Thanks," I said and stuffed the car keys in my pockets.

"I'm looking forward to you two being together for a long, long time. Just don't give up on him, okay? He's worth it."

"I know he is," I said and wondered what Angela would do if she found out about the big fight we had when I first told him I loved him. I kept my mouth shut about that, though. I didn't need Eric to have a concussion.

"And if he ever hurts you, tell me. He's not too old to get a swift kick in the ass from his mother."

I snorted and said, "No offense, Angela, but if he hurts me and you find out about, chances are he'll already be walking funny."

"Good girl," she said, and patted my back.

"We've already had a couple of arguments. I think we'll be okay," I said but didn't want to go into details on it. I appreciated Angela's concern but didn't need a mediator, or for her to retroactively smack Eric upside the head. Besides, it always takes two.

"Just remember that it takes two people giving 100% of themselves for a relationship to last. As long as you both want it to work, and both try, then I have faith that it will."

"Me too," I nodded and all of a sudden Eric was jogging toward us. "Uh oh, busy body closing in fast."

"Hey, you two. What are you talking about?" Eric asked, and took a few of the presents from me.

I looked over at Angela and said, "Oh, Mom and I were just talking about how lovely a June wedding might be. And my hips passed inspection."

Angela burst into laughter. "Oh wipe that scared shitless look off your face," she said to Eric, clapped him on the back, and headed into the house.

"Seriously, what happened?" Eric asked me.

"She said you look happier than she's ever seen you and I agreed," I dug his keys out of my pocket and gave them back.

He took them, put them in his pocket, and then he kissed me. "She's right, you know. So are you."

"She also asked me if I wanted kids," I revealed and he cringed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's not like it's a secret that I do. I told her a decision hasn't be reached on the topic where you and me are concerned, though, so I don't know what she's going to do with that. I'm hoping ovulation kits won't be involved."

"She wouldn't go that far," he said. "At least I hope so."

"I guess only time will tell on that one," I smiled over my shoulder as we walked into Mrs. Thornton's backyard again.

Members of Tara and JB's families started to arrive, along with the bunch of our friends that had been invited. Picnic tables dotted the lawn, and Eric and I had claimed one that the rest of our friends were sitting at with us. We waited until everyone was sitting at the table with us before he nudged me and gave a questioning smile.

"Go ahead," I smiled back at him, our hands linking together under the table.

"Hey guys," Eric called down the table. "Listen up, I have an announcement to make."

Everyone looked up and quieted down, and Eric pulled our hands up to rest on top of the table.

"Sookie and I are dating," he said.

Silence. Eyes shifted back and forth between us, and then there was laughter, followed by Pam saying, "I fucking knew it!"

"How long?" Jason demanded with a scowl on his face.

"Since Mexico," I said and Pam was scary smug about how she'd known all along. I rolled my eyes.

"So that night I stopped by your place, Eric wasn't fixing your closet at all, was he?" Jason stared at Eric.

"No. No, I wasn't," he said.

"Congratulations guys," Hoyt said with a big smile.

"I give it another three weeks," Ginger rolled her eyes.

Oh no she didn't.

"Shut the hell up, Ginger," Eric snapped at her.

"She's got a point," Amelia shrugged and I wanted to punch her. "I mean, Sookie wants to get married and Eric just wants to bang sluts."

"Amelia, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut your fucking piehole," Pam said, much to my surprise.

"Thank you, sis. And anyone else who has a problem with us can just shut the fuck up," Eric said.

Ginger stomped off while Amelia sat there shaking her head at me with disapproval written all over her face. I didn't know what her problem was, exactly, but I didn't really care. I hadn't talked to her since Mexico, and I was just fine with that. Her bullshit was tolerable in college, but we were almost thirty, for fuck's sake. The time for that crap was way over.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" Jason asked suddenly.

"Yeah, we stopped by there this afternoon before we came here. We told Mom, and she's fine with it. Dad wasn't home, but I can only assume Mom told him," I shrugged. "What do _you_ think, Jase?"

Jason looked back and forth between us for a moment and said, "I think if y'all ever had a kid it might be normal height."

Random, but okay.

"Thanks man," Eric laughed.

With that out of the way we were able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, for the most part. Amelia kept sending my dirty looks. Ginger kept her distance from Eric, which surprised us both. Pam, aside from all her gloating, was actually happy for us. While Tara was outside opening the enormous number of gifts that were waiting for her, I went inside to help clean up a little. I was in the process of loading the dishwasher when Amelia came in.

"Sook, can we talk?" she asked me.

"Depends. Are you here to be supportive, or are you going to lecture me on all the reasons why _you_ think Eric is all wrong for me?" I didn't turn off the water right away, figuring there was no point if Amelia was just going to talk more trash.

"You fall in love too easy, and everything I know about Eric tells me that this is a pretty big risk to take with a heart that's already been broken a few times. I'm worried about you," Amelia told me.

"Maybe you are, but you've never cared for Eric," I turned off the water and turned to face her. "What's your problem with him?"

"Just how well do you really know Eric, Sookie?" Amelia folded her arms over her chest.

"Pretty well. We don't really keep secrets from each other," I eyed her suspiciously.

"So then you know that he and I slept together," Amelia said and her tone made it obvious she was sure I didn't know, and that she wanted to hurt me with the information.

"Be serious," I rolled my eyes.

"I am serious. Do you remember that fight I got in with Pam when she first met Ginger and she was talking about the three of us partying together?" Amelia asked without a hint of shame in her voice.

"Vaguely. You and Pam used to fight a lot," I recalled.

It was annoying how on and off they were, but I blamed Amelia for not having the balls to just walk away. Pam didn't want anything serious and Amelia did. Yet instead of realizing that Pam wasn't going to change, they would breakup temporarily until Amelia went crawling back. It was a pathetic pattern. It didn't come to an end for good until Amelia and Tray hooked up, and even that wasn't until after Pam and Jason had been dating for a couple of months.

"Well I went to the bar to try and work things out with Pam, but she wasn't there. Some of Eric's friends from college were in town and they were all drunk. Eric started coming onto me and since I was pissed off at Pam, I went along with it. The next morning Pam called me to work things out and I left Eric's house before he even woke up. He never mentioned it and neither did I, but it pissed me off that he went back to treating me the way he does, judging me for _my_ relationships and behavior like he's any better," Amelia explained.

"So you're pissed at Eric because you were using him and he didn't thank you for it?" I fired back at her. "You are unbelievable, Amelia."

"And you are a fool if you really think he's changed. Eric is a selfish son of a bitch, and the second he gets bored with you, he'll dump you the same as he has with every other girl he's ever been with," Amelia charged and I shook my head.

"You don't know him, Amelia. And it hurts _my_ feelings that you think I'm too stupid to know what I'm doing," I argued with her. "I think you're jealous that I have with him what you never did. And I think its pathetic that you've been holding onto this for how many years now? Does Tray know what a devious little liar he's sharing his bed with? Don't you _dare_ talk about Eric like he's a wolf in sheep's clothing when you aren't exactly the most forthcoming person yourself."

"You're a fool," Amelia shook her head, "but you're on your own. Don't say I didn't warn you when he gets bored and moves on."

"Fuck you, Amelia. Oh, and good luck convincing Pam to believe you when she finds out about this," I said smugly.

"Oh real mature, Sookie! Run to Pam and rat me out," Amelia looked like she wanted to slug me.

"I'm not going to tell her, but you can bet your ass Eric will. I think it's best if you leave," I seethed. I wanted to tackle her back and knock her lights out.

"This isn't your house and I was invited here," she folded her arms.

"Yeah, and today isn't about you or the stunts you've pulled. Don't make me get Tara and have her throw you out. For once in your life do the honorable, noble thing and bow out," I stared her down.

Amelia stared right back at me and after a moment said, "Fine, I'll leave, but just remember what I said, Sookie. Eric isn't the settling kind."

I snorted and said, "He slept with you."

It was immature, but the bitch had it coming. Amelia stared daggers at me, but walked out in a huff. With her gone I turned my attention back to cleaning, and wondering if Eric had lied to me, or if he really didn't remember fucking my former roommate and his sister's ex-girlfriend. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was going to be a long ride home.

* * *

><p><strong>Just when everything seems to be going perfectly, Amelia has to go and drop this bombshell. Do you think Eric was hiding this detail on purpose, or was he just too drunk and doesn't remember? We'll find out in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	28. About a Girl

Chapter 28: About a Girl

"_I'll take advantage while you hang me out to dry, but I can't see you every night. Free. I need an easy friend. I do with an ear to lend. I do think you fit this shoe. I do won't you have a clue?"_ –_Nirvana _

Amelia didn't stay away forever. Well, physically speaking she did, but my phone buzzed in my pocket about two minutes after she stormed out of Mrs. Thornton's house. She sent a text telling me some pretty specific details about Eric that she would only know if she has slept with him. She knew about birthmarks, _exactly_ how big he was where it really counted, and the noises he made before he came. Those weren't things that Eric would just have casual conversations about that Amelia could have overheard, and while I was willing to consider the possibility that _maybe_ she had overheard those things from some other girl Eric hooked up with, I doubted that was the case.

I didn't know what to think. Just that morning we'd had a discussion about Amelia and he had flat out told me Amelia wasn't his type. I believed him there. So that left me with two options: one, he didn't remember sleeping with Amelia because he was way too intoxicated, or two, he was hoping I would never find out about it. My gut told me to trust him, to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he _had_ slept with Amelia, it was in the past and it obviously meant nothing to him. But then I thought about how many other girls there were in his past that meant nothing to him. I started to wonder if all that guilt Eric was carrying around about being a whore was because he maybe suspected there were more girls than he realized. Twenty-five bed partners since he was seventeen wasn't really that big of a deal. At least _I_ didn't think it was.

But Eric was so fixated on the number. I couldn't quite put my finger on why that was, but I started to wonder. Was his insecurity rooted in the possibility that he really didn't know, for absolutely certain, just how many women he'd really had sex with in his lifetime? I tried to push all of it away to think about later. The day wasn't about Eric's fucked up sex history, but celebrating the safe birth of Tara's twins. I needed to keep focused on that, but I knew Eric could tell there was something off about me. He gave me one of those questioning looks but I just shook my head. It wasn't the time, or the place, to discuss it.

Right around the time we decided to get going the sky started to get ominously dark. For the last two hours or so I had let myself get swept up in the cuteness of the twins. Minus the drama with Amelia, it had been a good day. Tara was still sore, but adjusting to being a mommy. The babies were healthy and getting bigger every day. Eric and I had told the people we cared most about that we were seeing each other, and generally speaking, the reaction had been positive. Ginger was still off sulking somewhere, but that was her problem, not mine.

We said our goodbyes to Tara, JB and everyone else. Mom had already left a few minutes before, as had Jason and Pam. It was kind of fun to watch Pam squirm every time one of the babies got near her. She was willing to spoil the kids rotten, but it was becoming more and more apparent to me that she was having second thoughts on mothering. That could be a real problem in the future.

Mrs. Thornton insisted we take home some of the leftover cake, which I didn't mind at all since it was three layers of chocolate with custard in the middle and whipped cream frosting. Hell, that cake might be necessary for drowning my sorrows in by the end of the night. After we had said all of our goodbyes Eric and I left together hand in hand, and headed for the car at the other end of the block.

I waited until we were in the car and on our way home before I asked, "So when were you going to tell me the truth about Amelia?"

He glanced at me a couple times, and then said, "What truth about Amelia?"

"Umm, you fucked her," I looked a him with eyes that said he should know better.

"No I didn't," he said. "Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" I folded my arms over my chest. "Why didn't you just tell me about it, Eric? Why did I have to hear it from her?"

"Sookie, I do not know what you're talking about. I didn't fuck Ameila."

"According to her you did, and she knows things about you that she wouldn't know unless you fucked her," I stared out the passenger's side window, glaring at everything we passed.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like how big you are and the fact that you shout in German when you orgasm, for starters. I'm sure there was more but that was enough to make me want to put her fucking head through a window."

"Sookie, I swear I don't know how she knows those things," he said, and he sounded upset, and a little pissed off.

"Oh I know how she knows them! _You fucked her!_" I wanted to jump out of the car, but I didn't. "Think back, Eric. Do you remember a couple of years ago when some friends of yours came into town, and you were all drinking together at the bar? Amelia came in looking for Pam because they got into another one of their stupid fights because Amelia is a level five clinger. She ended up drinking with you..." I trailed off, unable to finish the rest of the story, but I was sure he could figure it out from there.

"I vaguely recall something like that, but I didn't fuck Amelia, Sookie!" he yelled, and hit the steering wheel.

"You were wasted, Eric. You have a tendency to forget things when you drink," I reminded him in an eerily calm voice. That was never good.

"If I fucked her, then why didn't she ever say anything?"

"She got back together with Pam the next day and didn't see the point. Besides, shockingly enough, _you _didn't seem to care that you had," I said sarcastically. I was more pissed off at Amelia, but Eric was there so he was taking the brunt of it, and I knew it.

Eric's head snapped to the side to look at me, and then he gripped the steering wheel tighter and focused on driving for the rest of the way to his house. The car was barely in park before I was out the door and headed for the house. I went straight upstairs and locked myself in his bedroom, making sure to slam the door hard enough that it made the walls rattle.

Considering the fact that both of us were home, the house was freakishly silent. Sully had made himself comfortable on Eric's bed while we were gone, and it wasn't until he started whining at the door to let me know he needed to go out that I finally got up off the bed. I opened the door and considered closing it again, but I was going to have to talk to Eric about this eventually. I took a few deep breaths and followed Sully down the stairs.

Eric was sitting on the couch, angrily jabbing at the remote while he channel surfed. I went to the sliding door and let Sully out. I turned around and Eric refused to look at me.

"Eric, can we talk?" I checked my tone before I spoke.

"Talk," he said, still flipping through channels, and still not looking at me. "I'd love to hear more about how I fucked someone I don't remember fucking. Oh, while you're at it, imply I'm a whore some more. That really does it for me."

I sighed and said, "I'm sorry I implied that you are a whore. Just for a minute please try and see this my way! Amelia comes at me with this story about how you two slept together after you told me just this morning that she isn't your type. I didn't believe her but she knows all this stuff about you that she wouldn't know unless she was telling the truth. How do you think that makes me feel, Eric?"

"Like I lied to you," he sighed, flipping the TV off. "And do you have any idea how it feels for your girlfriend to keep telling you over and over that you had sex with someone you despise when you can't remember it ever happening?"

"Honestly, no, I don't. I've never been your situation before," I collapsed into a nearby chair. "You really don't remember?"

"No, I don't," he said, looking me right in the eyes. "And I'm upset that you can't take me at my word."

"It's hard to do that when Amelia knows all that stuff about you that she shouldn't," I said and refrained from mentioning his sometimes less than high standards for who he slept with in the past.

"How about in the future, you take a deep breath and talk to me about it instead of deciding it happened already?"

"Fine, but is that your way of saying there might be other friends of mine that you've slept with and don't remember it, or just haven't mentioned?" I asked since my fucking brain filter seemed to still be out to lunch.

Eric stared at me in disbelief, then got up and said, "Fuck this," before walking out of the room and stomping up the stairs.

I screamed in frustration right around the time a door slammed upstairs. This was all sorts of fucked up and I had no idea what to do. I grabbed Sully's leash and decided to go for a walk. Maybe a little fresh air and space from Eric would give me an idea of how to handle the epic cluster fuck that had been dropped on us. It was supposed to be a good day and then Amelia had to go and ruin it. Bitch.

Sully and I got about three blocks away from the house when the rain started, but we just kept walking the usual circuit I took when we walked around Eric's house. In total it was about a mile's worth of walking, and I was thoroughly soaked when we got back to the house. We went in through the garage, and I left Sully in the laundry room to dry off. On top of everything else Eric didn't need his house smelling like wet dog.

I contemplated grabbing my things and going home. Maybe spending the night apart was the better solution, but I wanted to resolve things with him. I didn't want to be fighting because Amelia was a selfish twat who didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. She could have kept that bit of information about her and Eric to herself and we wouldn't even be having this fight. Ultimately, I wasn't mad that Eric had slept with her. It was long before he and I were anywhere even _considering _being a couple. What agitated me was the idea that he had lied to me about it, but that didn't seem to be the case. Eric wouldn't be this pissed off if he wasn't telling the truth.

I decided it was time to swallow my pride, go upstairs and apologize for taking my anger out on him. I climbed the stairs like I was walking to the gallows, and timidly knocked on the bedroom door. I stood there for a moment and heard nothing but silence, so I knocked again. That time I heard footsteps, and then Eric opened the door, and gestured for me to come in.

"I'm angry at Amelia, but taking it out on you, and I shouldn't be. I'm sorry that I was so mean to you and that I accused you of lying to me. I know that you aren't and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," I said, staying just a step inside the bedroom in case he told me to fuck off and leave.

"Thank you," he said, then sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

I tentatively walked across the room and pulled his hands away from his face. He leaned into me so his head was pressed against my stomach. "I have no right to judge you for who you were with in the past, Eric, and I'm sorry that I... I should haven't implied that you were a whore. I said that out of anger, and not because I really believe that. I love you."

"I know you do. I'm sorry too. If I had some standards in the past then this fight wouldn't even be happening. And now I'm wondering how many other girls I can't remember."

I bit my lip in hopes of keeping my stupid tears at bay. I felt like a total asshole. Eric was already struggling with reconciling his past, and I just had to go and undo whatever progress he'd made on that. I silently cursed Amelia for doing this, even though she didn't know it. Whatever she might have thought, Eric absolutely had a conscience. His arms wrapped around my waist and I tried to think of something to say that would comfort him, but I had nothing.

"Fucking Amelia," came tumbling out of my mouth. "I don't think she and I will be friends after this. You know Pam doesn't know. Technically Amelia cheated... with you."

"Should I tell her? Or would that just be causing more problems?"

"That's your decision to make. I'm not going to to say anything, but I thought you should know it in case you think Amelia might go to Pam to try and get her on your ass for this," I shrugged. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what Amelia did.

"Then I'll talk to Pam about it tomorrow."

Eric pulled back and for the first time he really looked up at me. He lifted an eyebrow, probably wondering why I looked like a drowned rat.

"I took Sully for a walk. I was coming up here to apologize and then leave if you wanted me to go. I would understand if you did; I just needed to get some of my stuff from the bathroom," I gestured toward the other room.

"You don't have to go unless you want to," he said.

"Are you sure? I mean, if you would rather be alone I don't blame you. After some of the things I said, I probably wouldn't want to be around me either," I hung my head.

"No, I'd rather have you here."

"Okay," I nodded and took a step back from him. "I'll just go get changed then."

"I'll be here," he said, and scooted up on the bed.

I went to the bathroom and pulled off my wet clothes so I could take them down to the dryer. After I got my hair combed out I went to Eric's closet where my other clothes were only to realize I was down to just a nightgown that Eric would have completely despised. Instead I grabbed one of his t-shirts and slipped that on instead. When I walked out of the closet and somewhat nervously toward his bed, his eyes lit up a little.

"Hope you don't mind. It was either this or that yellow nightgown you hate," I smiled shyly.

"It's fine. I like the way my shirts look on you."

I liked the way they looked on his floor better, but seeing as how he seemed perfectly content right where he was, I thought maybe it was better to let him have his space.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and check on Sully," I said and turned for the door.

"Okay," was all he said in response.

I went downstairs and checked on Sully like I said, but didn't go back upstairs. Instead I went to the kitchen and got a start on dinner. I wasn't very hungry, but I figured I would be the time everything was done. I plugged my iPod into the dock in the living room and the house filled with the sounds of Led Zeppelin. The rock/blues fusion filled the house, and I was just draining the pasta when I heard Eric coming downstairs.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"Baked spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread. Is that okay?" I asked over my shoulder as I shook the colander with the pasta in it.

"Yeah, it sounds good," he said as he went to the counter and sat down. It was odd for him. He was usually touching me in any way he could while I cooked.

"Um, would you mind getting the big glass baking pan down for me?" I asked him while I stirred together the pasta and sauce.

"Sure," he said, and got up to pull it down for me.

"Thanks," I said when he set it on the counter next to the stove, and then returned to his seat. I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray, poured in the pasta, covered it with cheese and popped it in the oven. "Are you sure you want me here?" I asked him when I turned around.

He had been lost in thought, and his gaze met mine quickly. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" I leaned against the counter behind me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just over-thinking everything. I wouldn't even know where to start. But I do know that I want you here."

I walked over to him and asked, "Would a hug help?"

"Maybe," he smiled at me.

I stepped between his knees and wrapped my arms around his chest to rest my head on his shoulder. His arms closed around my back and I heard the distinct sound of him breathing me in. I felt his breath on my face, and smiled for a moment before lightly kissing his neck.

"I'm here if you want to talk about it," I promised him.

"I know," he said. "I'm sure I will, I'm just still trying to figure out how I feel about everything."

"It's okay. Take your time," I kissed his cheek and then stood up straight to start making the salad.

"Sook?"

"Yeah?" I opened the refrigerator to grab the things I needed.

"I still love you."

I smiled and turned my head to look back at him. "I still love you too," I said and then turned my attention back to the fridge.

I got what I needed and deposited everything on the counter, and then bent to look in the oven and see how melted the cheese was so I could put the garlic bread in too. Rain was still pouring down outside, and that combined with the homey smells and Led Zeppelin playing softly made me want to take a nap. I could very easily see myself cleaning up after dinner and then passing out on the couch.

"Would you approve of me hitting a woman?" Eric asked out of the blue.

"Excuse me?" No way I heard him correctly, and I stopped slicing tomatoes so I could read his lips when he repeated himself.

"It's just... I really want to hit Amelia."

I tilted my head a little and said, "Not that I blame you, but I don't think that's the answer."

He sighed, and chuckled a little. "If it helps, I was picturing her as a man."

"That's... weird," I said and then laughed a little myself. "I could bitch slap her for you though. I wouldn't mind."

"I wouldn't stop you," he said. "I'm just... I'm having a hard time understanding why I would ever hit on her, let alone sleep with her, even drunk. She's so... unappealing. In every way."

"I wasn't there so I can't answer that. Although, if I had been, you know I would have talked you out of it," I turned again and started slicing the cucumber.

"I wish you had been there. What I'm really pissed off about is that she did that to me. She had to have known what she was doing, and she knew I didn't fucking like her."

"I don't know for sure why she did it, although I was guessing it was to get back at Pam for whatever they were fighting about," I sighed and hated that Eric ended up caught in the middle, even if he had been the one to hit on Amelia. Although, come to think of it, that could very well have been a lie. Since I wasn't there, I would never know for sure if it was. "You know, you could talk to some of the guys who were there that night and see if _they _remember anything about what happened."

"I could, but they were all plastered too."

"Yeah, but someone might at least know who started it. Maybe Amelia was lying about that," I shrugged and dumped the vegetables into a big mixing bowl.

"I'll give them a call tomorrow," he said.

"The worst that can happen is that they tell you they don't remember anything either. It's worth a shot," I said as I pulled plates down from the cabinet nearby.

"What if she roofied me?"

"It's possible, but I'm guessing you were probably just really, really drunk, sweetie." I set the plates down and went for silverware.

"Yeah, I'm just looking for any excuse I think."

"Look, Eric, regardless of how it happened, it's in the past. There's nothing either of us can do about it now, and despite the way I acted earlier, it doesn't change the way I see you, or the way I feel about you," I looked into his eyes as I spoke so he would know I was being truthful with him.

"Thank you for saying that. I'm just feeling a little... icky."

"Well if it helps you look cute doing it," I smiled and then turned to check the stuff in the oven.

"I look cute feeling icky?"

"You always look cute," I said as I pulled the garlic bread out, and then went back for the pasta.

"I want to tell you something that I hope you won't take in the wrong way."

"Okay," I set the oven mitts on the counter and turned to face him.

"I want to stop having sex for a while."

"Ummm... okay..." I trailed off, the expression on my face had to be one of total confusion.

"It's just, with the way I feel at the moment... I'm disgusted with myself, and I need to figure some things out before we go there again."

"Okay," I said with acceptance.

"Are you going to be okay with it?"

"Sure. I understand needing a little space to yourself for a while. Besides, we're not just about sex, right?" I said, although I knew being cut off for a little while was going to suck.

"No, we're not. I just want you to understand that it's not you at all."

"I understand," I handed him a plate. "Let's eat."

"Okay."

**oOoOoOo**

A week later we were still on the sex ban, and Eric didn't seem to be any closer to cheering up. He'd talked with his buddies but they were all as wasted as he was, and barely remembered Amelia, let alone anything that was said. I tried to convince Eric that it didn't matter, but I was learning that he didn't have much of a rebound rate when he felt like he'd fucked up, or severely disappointed someone.

I knew we were in deep shit when not even extreme cleavage could lift his spirits.

My patience was starting to wear thin with him. I wanted to respect his wishes and give him his space, but I had needs too, damn it. So I when I got off of work Monday afternoon I headed for the bar to visit him. I could only hope that the magical combination of a relatively short skirt, high heels, lots of cleavage and my reading glasses would put dirty thoughts in his head because I was about to start climbing the walls.

I walked into the bar and Jamie was at the hostess stand as usual. She smiled at me and said, "Boss man is in his office."

"Thanks," I smiled back at her and headed straight for Eric's office. I pressed my ear to the door and heard his voice on the other side. I knocked and waited for him to call out to me.

"Come in," he called immediately.

I peeked inside and said, "I can wait in the bar if you're busy."

He was on the phone, so he shook his head and waved me in. Eric looked to his computer monitor as I stepped inside so he didn't see me right away. I closed the door behind me but didn't bother locking it since I didn't want to get my hopes up. When I turned around, however, his eyes were traveling over me. I smiled at him and took a seat in the chair across from his desk, taking my time crossing my legs.

"Right," he said into the phone. "I'll have it to you by Monday. Alright, bye."

"Hi," I smiled and let my leg bounce a little over my knee.

"Hi," he smiled back. "I have news."

"Oh yeah?"

"I finally told Pam today."

"Oooh how'd that go?" I was a little too excited about this, but I was really hoping that Pam would rip Amelia's head off, or at least run her out of town for good.

"She said quite a few words I haven't heard from her in a while," he laughed.

"I'm sure she did. Is she mad at you?"

"No, she was mostly pissed at Amelia for telling you."

"Oh," I said and was relieved she wasn't giving Eric too much shit for what happened. Dude felt bad enough about it.

"How was your day?"

"Not bad for a Monday," I shrugged. "We had our usual monthly meeting today and it was the usual blah, blah, blah. Although I did overhear a rumor that there's a possibility the office will be moving to the east coast. Of course we won't find out anything about it until a decision has been made."

"What will that mean for you?" he asked.

"Who knows. I'm not even going to think about it until I hear something official. Right now it's just a bunch of water cooler gum flapping," I waved it off.

"Got it."

"So other than telling Pam about what happened with Amelia, how's your day been?" I asked and shifted my legs so that the right one was on top.

"Pretty normal," he said. "I must admit that I notice your attire today though."

I looked down and said, "I know the skirt's a little short, but it's warm outside. I'm not flashing you anything, am I?" I intentionally leaned to the side.

I was totally rocking garters under my skirt, and I knew he caught a glimpse when I heard a quiet groan.

"I thought you were going to respect my decision," he said.

"I do," I uncrossed my legs and pressed them together, leaving my hands in my lap. "Wearing garters doesn't mean I don't respect your decision."

"Yes it does," he said.

"No it doesn't, but if it bothers you that much then I'll go take them off," I said and stood to go to the bathroom.

He sighed, and quite literally headdesked.

I ignored his dramatic display and turned toward the door, pausing to grab my purse off the couch so I would have somewhere to stash the lingerie I was wearing. Yeah, it was probably unfair of me to tip the scales that way, but come on! Enough was enough already!

I got as far as the door before my frustration caused a brain filter malfunction and I whirled around to shout, "Okay, what the fuck, Eric? There's obviously something I'm missing because I don't understand what's going on in your head that's cockblocking us."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand it."

"Well could you _please _try and explain it to me, because I am seriously frustrated right now," I groaned and fell back on the couch, hoping he would at least give it a shot.

"It's just... I thought I'd only been with a certain number of women, and then suddenly I find out there was another one, not only that, but she was someone I hate, and I can't remember any of it. So then I started thinking about what my life used to be like, and began to wonder how many other one night stands I had that I don't remember. I'm lucky I don't have a disease, or a kid running around out there. Then I look at you, and I wonder what in the hell you ever did to deserve a piece of crap like me. It tore all the sex drive right out of me."

I sighed and said, "First of all, you are _not_ a piece of crap. Second of all, I know you're new to this relationship thing but you don't show someone you love them by pushing them away from you."

"I'm not trying to push you away, but when you come in here dressed like that, it doesn't really make me want to jump you. You look hot and sexy, don't get me wrong, but it's not up to you to decide when I'm ready for sex again. I'll let you know, I promise."

Ouch.

Okay, yeah, I probably had that coming but it still hurt to hear.

"Maybe I should just go home," I sighed and stood up.

"Please don't go mad," he said.

"I'm not mad, Eric..." I hung my head. "I just... I feel like I don't even know what to talk to you about. Your head is all fucked up right now and trying to help you figure things out is like slamming my head against it a brick wall. It feels like a wasted effort."

"I'm sorry," he said with such a sad look in his eyes. "I want you to be able to help, but I just feel like I need to do it on my own, without a safety net, or it'll never happen."

"Like what will never happen? I don't even know what you're talking about," I threw my head back and groaned in total frustration. God, and he thought _I_ was moody.

"Me getting some damn self worth," he said with a raised voice. "I haven't felt it in a long time, and I love you, but it's going to take more than you telling me I'm not a whore, or a piece of shit for me to believe it. I have to figure it out for myself."

"Okay. Well, you figure it out, and you call me when you do," I said and started toward the door. I had to leave before I said something I was going to regret. Eric didn't say anything as I walked out the door.

**oOoOoOo**

It was the end of April, and the nights were starting to stay warmer a little longer, but nothing like it would be over the summer. I sat out on my patio with a book and a glass of wine. Irish folk music was playing inside my condo, and Sully was prowling along the bushes that lined my little bit of property, sniffing to see if any other creatures had tried to set up shop on his marked territory.

I thought I heard AC/DC coming from my phone, but decided to ignore it. Eric had his reasons for needing to be on his own, and that was fine. If he was determined to figure out his issues alone, no amount of me offering to help him was going to make it better.

So I stayed out on my porch until I started getting cold and then called Sully to come inside for the night. I was closing the vertical blinds that covered the sliding glass doors when my front door opened, and I turned to see Eric standing there with a rather intense look in his eyes.

"Hey," I said softly and went back to closing the blinds.

The next thing I knew, Eric was turning me around by my shoulders, and then he laid one hell of a kiss on me.

"Please tell me you're in the mood," he said when he broke away.

"Next time, don't ask," I said and launched myself at him.

"I love you," he said between kisses.

"Love you too..." I returned the sentiment, and it just so happened that I was half a step from the dining room table, which Eric took advantage of. Thank God the blinds were closed.

"Are you ready for me to fuck you stupid?" he asked, easily stepping back into the dominant role I loved him in.

"Didn't I just tell you not to ask," I pulled my shirt off and hurled it across the room.

"I've fucking missed these," he said as his head buried itself in my boobs. "Please don't think less of me if I don't last long."

"I won't," I promised.

Eric's hand snaked its way into the little shorts I was planning on wearing to bed. He immediately discovered I didn't have underwear on, and didn't waste any time using his fingers to part my folds. I groaned, and felt that familiar flood alert feeling that had been missing for the last eight days.

It dawned on me then that I was addicted to him, and I had spent the last week plotting how to get my next fix.

His mouth moved around my breasts, and roughly sucking on my nipples, nibbling them a little between open mouth kisses. His fingers kept stroking me, readying me for him. My hips began to rock a little in attempts to get more friction, and when he had decided I was ready enough, he flipped me over on the table and tugged my shorts down to the middle of my thighs.

I heard the quick sound of his zipper going down and then his cock was rubbing against me, teasing my clit for a moment before he pushed into me all at once.

"Eric!" I cried out and wished I could reach the other side of the table so I would have something to hold onto.

God, I'd missed that feeling. The fullness, the connection, the pleasure of it… it was perfect.

"Don't stop!" I moaned even though it was obvious he had no intention of stopping.

His hips moved quickly, pounding into me fast and hard, but it was just what I needed. His fingers worked my clit, and it didn't take very long for me to explode from the inside out. My hand slammed down on the table and my walls clamped down around him. His name tumbled out of my mouth over and over, and sunbursts blurred my vision.

Eric's grip on my hip got a little tighter and with a few more thrusts, he came undone as well and came with a shout of his own. I felt the shuddering of his body behind mine and heard the shakiness in his breath. He leaned forward and kissed my shoulder before slowly pulling out of me. I was collapsed against the table, and my legs felt like they were made of jelly.

"Does this mean the sex embargo is over?" I asked breathlessly.

"Yes," he panted. "God, yes."

"What changed your mind?" I asked while he reached for a napkin from the holder to clean me up with.

"I had an epiphany," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" I squirmed a little when his fingers brushed against me just right.

"Yeah," he said in a low voice. "My mom used to tell me that you have to be the change you want to see, and you already saw it in me. I was only having a little trouble. I did a lap around the bar and found that I wasn't in the least bit interested in any of the women there. Hell, wanting to marry you and have kids should have been enough for me to see it, but it all happened so fast. But I do see now. I'm a better man than I used to be, and I deserve you just as much as you deserve me."

"You figured all that out from a lap around the bar?" I looked over my shoulder, and Eric pulled me upright and turned me around to face him so we were eye to eye.

"Epiphanies don't always come during the most profound moments."

"I guess not, but from now on whenever you start talking out of your ass I'm going to tell you to take a lap," I warned him with a grin.

"Please do. I missed fucking you."

"You passed up garters," I shook my head. "Lord knows when you'll get to see those again."

"Hopefully you'll have pity on me and wear them for no reason. I'm sorry for the way I reacted earlier."

"And I'm sorry I was a pushy bitch."

"It's okay. Clearly you're just addicted to my cock."

"I am," I had absolutely no problem admitting it.

"I'm glad we're fucking again."

"Me too. You're prettier when you smile," I said and then kissed him before he could complain about me calling him pretty.

"More handsome is what you were going for," he said after the kiss.

"I like my adjective better," I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Can we go to your room and do that again?" he asked.

"Yes please," I nodded and when he lifted me up my legs wrapped around his waist.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh these crazy kids and their drama. At least they got that situation figured out. To be perfectly honest, there's a part of me that wonders if Amelia wasn't just making it up in hopes of breaking Eric and Sookie up. I guess we'll never know for absolute certain, but at least this settles all that whore talk coming from Eric. They're talking things out and admitting their wrongs... all good things. We have less than ten chapters to go, so don't unfasten your seat belts yet, there's still some crazy left to go. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	29. I Can't Fight This Feeliing

**Okay, so we start with a bit of a time jump here. Additionally, this chapter is _epically_ inappropriate for work, so if you're in an office, read on at your own risk. **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 29: I Can't Fight This Feeling<span>

"_And it always seems that I'm following you, girl 'cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find. And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. And I can't fight this feeling anymore. I've forgotten what I started fighting for. It's time to bring this ship into the shore, and throw away the oars, forever." –REO Speedwagon_

It was official. I was thirty. I was also on the verge of being awake when I felt lips on my shoulder.

"Sookie," he whispered in my ear.

"Mmm..." I wasn't ready to be verbal yet.

"It's your birthday," he said. "Would you like morning sex, or cinnamon pancakes and then morning sex?"

I smiled against my pillow without opening my eyes and asked, "I can't have both?"

"I can't make the pancakes and sex you at the same time. Plus, if you pick the pancakes first, I'll bring extra whipped cream up."

"Pancakes it is then," I said, feeling pretty sure he had his heart set on playing with his food.

"Good. You go back to sleep, and I'll be back up in a little bit with your food."

"Deal," I said sleepily and let myself drift off again.

It dawned on me, even as I was half asleep, that Eric and I had been together for almost six months. For me that wasn't anything new, but for him it was a huge deal. The fourth of July was coming up in just a few days. It was a big week for us.

I rolled onto my back and wondered what Eric had planned for me. He knew I liked surprises, even if he hated them, and so far he had been freakishly tight lipped about whatever he had on his agenda for the day. The fact that it was starting with breakfast in bed was a good sign.

I reached blindly for my cell phone that was sitting on the night stand, and was thankful that I had silenced it before going to sleep. There were text messages and missed calls that I would deal with later, and I set the phone aside again just as I heard Eric coming back upstairs.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you," he sang as he entered the room with a stack of cinnamon scented heaven on a tray with a single lit candle sticking out of the top. "Happy birthday dear Sookie, happy birthday to you."

"Okay, so far being thirty doesn't suck as much as I thought it would," I grinned at him with sleepy eyes. "Thank you."

"Make a wish, sweetheart," he said.

I thought for a moment about what I wanted more than anything, locked my eyes on Eric's and then blew out the candle.

"What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you or it won't come true. You know the rules," I smiled again and forced myself to sit up against the headboard.

"Oh alright. Now eat up so I can put this extra whipped cream on you and lick it off," he said.

"You're bossy on my birthday," I snickered and took the plate from him. "What about you?"

"I ate some when I was making yours, and I plan to have you for my full meal."

"Is that right?" I asked while cutting into the stack. "Do you really think I'm going to eat all of this?"

"If you don't, you can feed me."

"I think there's more than enough to share," I said and took my first bite. The moans started immediately. Damn, they were good pancakes. "Then again maybe not."

He grinned. "You like them?"

"Mmhmmm." I nodded and took another bite.

It was awkward with him sitting there watching me so I cut another bite and held the fork up for him to take it if he wanted it.

"Thank you," he said, and accepted the bite, letting out a sexual noise of his own.

"These are ridiculously delicious. Thank you for making them for me," I said and took another bite.

"You're welcome," he grinned.

We took turns taking bites until I was too stuffed to keep eating. I handed him the plate and said, "The rest is all yours. I'm done."

"Good," he said, taking the plate from me happily. "You digest so we can sex after this."

I snickered and sank down on the bed to make myself comfortable. My head rolled to the side and noticed some heavy looking storm clouds in the distance. "Think it'll rain, or pass over our heads?" I asked, hoping that it would rain and we would have an excuse to stay inside all day.

"The weather guy said there's a 90% chance of it pouring on us, and I hope it does," he grinned at me.

"Does this mean you're going to finally tell me what your plan is for today?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

"If it doesn't rain, I'm taking you out for a late lunch, and a movie of your choice. If it does rain, we're having a naked day."

"That was the big plan you kept hidden from me?" I asked suspiciously.

"Perhaps not..."

"Mmhmm..." I rolled onto my side.

"Are you going back to sleep?"

"Nope, just making myself comfortable," I said as lightning flashed in the distance. "Looks like it might be a naked day."

"Good," he grinned.

"Am I going to be able to walk tomorrow?" I looked back at him over my shoulder.

"If you are, you'll be walking funny."

"Thanks for the warning," I snickered and turned my head in time to see raindrops start to splatter against the window.

"We should go outside and fuck in the rain," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Oh I'm sure the neighbors would _love _that," I laughed. The neighbors on either side of his house had kids.

"It'll be educational."

"Not to mention illegal. I don't really want to get arrested today, baby," I smirked and rolled onto my stomach to stretch a little.

"Then we'll have to settle for sex inside."

Thunder boomed overhead and my eyes closed. "I love thunderstorms. I just want to lay here and be lazy."

"We can have lazy sex," he smiled down at me.

"Or I could go back to sleep," I yawned. Full tummy plus rain equaled naptime.

"We will do whatever you wish," he said, and put the tray on the floor before snuggling up beside me. "And whenever you're feeling like you're ready for birthday sex, just attack me."

I snickered and then started giggling. "My own personal sex slave."

"For the day," he said.

"Just for the day?" I opened one eye.

"For your birthday. And let's face it, any other time."

"That sounds more like it," I closed my eye.

"Go to sleep birthday girl," he said. "You just might wake up with my face between your legs."

I didn't go to sleep; I laid there listening to the rain hit the roof over our heads. It was nice. Did I ever mention that Eric could get impatient when he had a plan in mind? Because he can, and he did.

"I guess this means naptime's over?" I asked when his hands started roaming.

"You never went to sleep," he said.

"No, I didn't," I sighed. "It's just nice laying here like the rest of the world doesn't exist."

"For today, it doesn't."

"Good. I like being here with you like this," I turned onto my back and stretched. "Although we probably shouldn't stay in bed _all_ day."

"We'll get out of it to bathe at some point, and again to have lunch, which will be delivered, and then maybe another time, but I'm not sure for what. You even get to open your presents in bed."

"There are presents?" I smiled at him. "When can I open them?"

"Well... anytime you want to, really. Just say when and I'll go grab them."

"Mmm... now please," I sat up and noted the slightly apprehensive look on his face. "You didn't get me anything with a pulse, did you?"

"Ha! No, I didn't. Hold please, I'll be right back," he said, and left the room for only a minute before coming back with two boxes. One was medium sized and square, and the other was a long rectangle.

"Does it matter which one I open first?" I asked when put them on the bed between us.

"Yes, open the square box first," he smiled.

"Okay," I said and tried to figure out what he got me that was so heavy.

I tore into the paper and tossed it over my shoulder. He did a pretty good job of wrapping the boxes, I'll give him that. It was almost a shame to ruin it.

"An air mattress?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. I wasn't expecting that.

"So I can go camping with you," he smiled.

I laughed and leaned over to throw my arms around his neck. "This is so awesome! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it! I've been meaning to buy one. My days of doing it die hard on the ground are pretty much over. I get too cold at night, so this will be perfect," I kissed him sweetly. "Should I open the other one too?"

"Yeah," he said, and I noticed a blush creep into his cheeks.

"Uh oh," I let go of his neck and sat back a little.

"No uh oh. I'm just nervous that you won't like it, or will take it wrong."

"Hence the uh oh," I said and lifted the much lighter box and began to tear away the paper.

I could feel Eric's eyes on me, watching every single scrap of paper that I sent flying through the air until I had a white box with the words 'Hitachi Magic Wand' printed in bright blue letters in my hand. There was a picture on the box and my eyes went wide.

"Is this what I think it is?" I looked to Eric, who's cheeks had only gotten redder in the last ten seconds.

"Yeah, it is," he admitted.

"You bought me a sex toy," I shook my head.

"No, I bought you a personal massager."

"For my lady business," I snickered and then my own cheeks flamed when I realized I was going to have to plug it in in order to use it. "Helps relieve tension... yeah, I bet it does."

"I hope you're not offended by it. In fact, I thought we could even use it together, occasionally."

My head snapped up and I thought for sure I'd heard him wrong. "I'm sorry, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"

"What? If you don't like it, I can return it," he said and started to take the box from me.

"No! Eric, wait... all I meant was that you got all jealous of that little pink bullet. I wasn't expecting you to... I want to try it, but only if you're okay with it," I really didn't want to get all emotional and start crying on my birthday unless it was because it was because I got weepy over being thirty.

"I've grown a lot since then. I know that this piece of plastic can't replace me, nor would you want it to. But it can, however, give us both a better time," he grinned. "Also it'll keep you satisfied if I ever cut you off again."

I gasped at that. "You wouldn't!"

"You never know," he shrugged. "It's not like I'm planning to."

"You better not. If this thing is any good..." I trailed off and opened the box. "So how does this work?"

"You want to use it now?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "Why not?"

"I think you just plug it in and turn it on."

"Well yeah, but I figured you did some sort of research or something," I said and climbed off the bed to find an outlet to plug it into.

"I thought I could use it on you first, and then you could get on top of me and I'll use it on you while we fuck," he said as he cleared the wrapping paper from the bed.

"Um, okay," I plugged the 'personal massager' (who did they think they were kidding by calling it that) in and then got back on the freshly cleared bed. "So where do you want me?"

"Wherever you're most comfortable," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Here is good," I said somewhat anxiously and stretched out on what had become my side of the bed, although usually Eric and I ended up somewhere closer to the middle, cuddled up together. I stretched out on my back and handed the wand to Eric.

He set it off to the side, which surprised me, and then leaned down to kiss me. I relaxed when I felt the familiar pressure of his weight on my body. His fingers pinched and teased my nipples, and before long I completely forgot about the toy he'd bought me. That is until he flipped the switch and it began to hum.

"Remember your safe word?" he nipped at my jaw and I nodded, although I doubted I was going to need it. "If you want to stop, just say so, and it stops."

"It'll be fine," I smiled faintly.

Eric shifted his position slightly and bent to kiss me again. His mouth on mine was a distraction, and I didn't see it coming when the wand landed directly on my clit.

"Holy shit!" I broke the kiss to shout.

Eric moved the device, rubbing it against different spots, testing to see what would get the most reaction, but it didn't take long before my hips were rolling and lifting off the bed.

"Oh fuck, Eric..." I whimpered and looked up into his eyes, which were dark and intense, but when I looked down I could see he was definitely turned on by the reaction he was getting out of me.

He kept moving the wand, teasing me with it until I was pleading with him to let me come. It was the mother of all orgasms, and it seemed fitting that I was celebrating my life by dying a little. My entire body shook and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. It was amazing, and I thought the orgasm was never going to end.

When my eyes opened I looked over at Eric, who had mercifully set the wand aside. He was stroking himself and God, that was sexy.

"Dude..." I couldn't think of anything else to say, but that must have been enough since he pounced on me.

"That was the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen, sweetheart," he kissed me deeply, and I wasn't the least bit surprised when he rolled us over and pulled me on top of him.

"That was intense," I said when the kiss broke.

"I can't wait to feel what it's like when I'm inside you," he pulled my face to his and kissed me again.

His fingertip grazed my clit and I moaned into his mouth. My hips lifted and Eric aligned his cock with my opening. I lowered myself slowly, taking him in easily thanks to how wet my orgasm had left me. Eric noticed as well, since he was grunting and hissing as he watched his erection disappear inside me. Almost immediately I started to ride him, not feeling the need for the usual adjustment time that I almost always did.

Eric grabbed the wand, flipped it back on and pressed it against my clit again. I screamed and my core immediately clenched around his cock. Eric groaned as well, watching as my movements on top of him became a little more erratic. The steady rhythm I had been moving at was gone, and another orgasm was already preparing to ravage me.

"Fuck, Sookie," Eric growled and started to thrust up as much as he could.

He adjusted the angle he was holding the wand against my clit at, and flipped it up to high. I screamed again and within seconds I was screaming his name and clawing at him, trying not to pitch myself to the side. If I thought the other orgasm was intense, it had nothing on this one. I stilled my movements to ride out the waves of pleasure, savoring the feeling of Eric's cock buried inside me like it was while I came.

It felt like as soon as one orgasm ended another one began, and Eric held the toy to my clit for as long as he could before I was pleading with him to make it stop. I had never come that hard, or so many times, so quickly. Eric turned the vibrator off and set it on the night stand. He kissed me softly and then flipped me onto my back. He held my legs the way he wanted them and thrust into me slow and deep, watching the bounce of my breasts while he fucked me.

I was off on another planet, I think, since everything in my body tingled. The brush of his thumb against my clit made me come yet again, and that was enough to finish Eric off as well. He thrust into me once more, going deeper than I ever remembered him being before, and then he collapsed with his own orgasm. He wasn't breathing quite as hard as I was, but he was definitely trembling on top of me.

"I can't come anymore, Eric," I warned him, and he just laughed.

"If you can talk, you can come," he kissed my chest.

"Are you trying to make sure I don't make it to my thirty-first birthday?" I snickered as best I could, but it came out as a strange noise.

He laughed, and said, "You have to live a long, long time so we can keep using that thing."

"Oh, so I guess playing with toys isn't so bad after all, is it?" I gave a lazy smile, but don't know if he saw it since my eyes were closed.

"If they make you come like that, they should be celebrated in my opinion."

I couldn't help laughing at that. His opinion had done a complete 180 since he caught me on Valentine's Day playing with that pink bullet. I was proud of him.

"So then you don't mind if I take that home with me?" I asked, already knowing the answer to that one.

"It's your gift, so you should take it home if you want, but there need to be ground rules."

"Oh really? Do tell," I opened an eye a sliver when his head popped up.

"I know it makes you have an awesome orgasm, but you can't just use it all the time, or you'll be so satisfied that you won't need as much sex from me."

"Oh please," I scoffed.

"So I'm at work, and you're horny, so you get out your trusty hitachi and get yourself off. I sneak out of work early and you're no longer horny," he said, giving me his best squinty eyes.

"Or maybe I call you, use it, and you rush home to finish what the hitachi started," I countered.

"Maybe..." he trailed off. "Okay, how about this. You can keep it until there is even one instance of you not being into sex with me because of it, then I get to take it back."

"Eric, I can promise you that if I'm ever _not _in the mood for sex it won't be because a toy beat you to the punch," I tried to wiggle out from under him, but that just seemed to get his engine all revved up again. Dammit.

"Wanna go again?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"I wanna shower. I'm feeling dirty at the moment," I smirked at him.

"We can do that," he said, and rolled off of me.

Eric followed me to the shower, and managed to keep from pouting when I politely declined shower sex. There was time for more sex later. At the moment I just wanted to get clean and maybe throw the sheets in the washer since they definitely needed it. That hitachi was no joke. When we were done getting cleaned up, Eric handed me a towel before slinging one around his hips.

"So what else is the plan for today? I'm sure you told me but my brain is still a little scrambled," I said as I went to the sink to brush my teeth.

"Well, it's just a lazy day. When we get hungry I'm going to order lunch from Village Tavern, and then we can eat and be lazy some more. And after dinner I have a cake for you," he explained with a smile.

"I like this plan," I smiled as best I could around my toothbrush.

"Good," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder.

Eric watched me in the mirror while I brushed my teeth and every once in a while our eyes would meet there. I'd smile at him but his expression never changed. He was thinking about something but I didn't know what it was. I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth and gave him a goofy grin.

"What's going on in there?" I reached back and tapped his head gently.

"Nothing too interesting."

"Like making a grocery list not interesting, or you think I'll think it's dumb not interesting?" I turned around to face him.

"You'll think it's dumb," he answered.

"No I won't, but if you don't want to say you don't have to."

"It's just... you make the cutest faces when you brush your teeth."

I giggled and said, "And that's why _you're_ adorable."

"Gee, thanks," he chuckled.

"Well you are," I popped up and kissed him. "But I promise never to say that where anyone can hear it if it makes you feel better."

I headed for the closet and grabbed a v-neck tie dyed mini dress off a hanger. It was slightly alarming how much of my clothing was now in his closet. We weren't officially living together, but I spent more time at his place than I did at my own. Running back and forth wasn't a big deal since I only lived two miles away, but it also made me wonder what the point was of keeping my place. Still, knowing Eric like I did, us living together was something that he was going to need to bring up. It was only a matter of time before that happened.

I got dressed while Eric brushed his teeth and while I was stripping the bed, he got dressed. Sully started barking downstairs, which was unusual.

"Did you let the dog out this morning?" I asked while I balled the sheets to take them downstairs.

"Yeah, while I was making pancakes."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna throw these in the wash and call my Mom," I grabbed my phone off the night stand. "We can go after that if you want."

"Go where?"

"Lunch. Did the hitachi break your brain too?" I smirked as I headed for the door.

"Oh no, we're not going out for it. We will have it brought to us."

"Oh," I smiled over my shoulder. "Then I guess I'm overdressed right now, huh?"

"Very much."

"Darn," I faked pouted. "Then I guess that means you'll have to undress me."

And with that, I took off running down the hall. Eric gave chase and caught me quickly.

"Gladly," he growled in my ear.

**oOoOoOo**

It was right around dinnertime when the sky cleared and I was able to talk Eric into going for a walk. Not that I hadn't enjoyed our lazy day, but I needed to get outside and stretch my legs. It was hot and steamy outside, thanks to the rain that had fallen for the better part of the day, and I could tell Eric was hoping it would be a quick trip.

"So what do you want to do for the fourth of July? Or are you stuck at the bar all night?" I asked as we crossed the street.

"We're actually pretty slow on the fourth, so I guess my plans are whatever yours are."

"Usually I go to my parents' house but they're going down to see Gran since she's not comfortable going camping with us anymore, so I don't really have any plans. We could go downtown on the third to watch the fireworks if you want," I suggested. "They usually have the Chicago Symphony playing _Star Wars_ music in time with the show."

"Fuckyes!"

"Okay. Well, the office will probably close at noon and I can talk to Elle about taking a half day on the fifth, or maybe I'll work from home that day."

"Sounds perfect to me."

"Good. We can take the train down and spend the day walking around if you want," I offered.

"Sure. I love the city this time of year."

We walked on for a while until Eric started to silently pout. He loved that it was mini dress weather for me, but that was about all he loved when it came to the steamy weather. At the moment if felt like we were walking in the rain forest.

"Wanna head back?" I asked him when I realized the back of his t-shirt was drenched.

"Yes, please," he said, sagging with relief.

"Awww poor baby," I pouted at him and his eyes narrowed. "Just think about how much you'll appreciate the air conditioning when we get back."

"I'm never turning it off."

"How are you going to make it through the fireworks?" I shook my head at him. "It'll be worse down by the lake."

"I will be dreaming that I'm in my air conditioning. Central air is the best invention ever."

I laughed and then perked up a little. "Oh hey! I don't think Jason ever sold his condo down there. I know he's traveling to Colorado with the team for the start of an eleven game road trip. Maybe we could watch from there instead since his condo was up on the fifty-something floor?"

"That's perfect! I can mark my territory while we're there too," he grinned.

"Um, no, we are _so _not getting it on in my brother's condo!" I insisted.

Unless there was tequila. Then all bets were off.

"Come on, I'll get you drunk first."

"No," I said but smiled anyway. He was going to win this one; I could feel it.

"We'll see."

"You're trouble, Northman," I elbowed him in the ribs. "And I don't want Pam to somehow find out and try to get revenge since Jason still has a key to my place."

"Then I'll just have to move you in with me before they can," he smiled. "Pam doesn't have a key to mine."

I stopped walking suddenly and he ended up tugging on my arm since we were still holding hands.

"Seriously?" I asked.

He stopped and turned to look at me. "It's something I've been thinking about more lately. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet, but I feel like it's coming."

It probably helped that half of my closet had invaded his one outfit at a time.

"Oh. Okay," I smiled and started walking again.

"Are you getting there too?" he asked.

"I practically live with you now," I shrugged.

"Yeah I guess you do," he laughed.

"We'll talk about it more when you're ready to go whole hog, I guess."

We walked back to the house and Eric dramatically fell onto the couch like he'd just walked through the desert for the last hundred years. I went to the kitchen and got him a glass of water, which he gulped down in all of four large gulps.

"I have a surprise for you," I told him as I took the glass back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. Before we left I may have put something in the freezer for you," I kissed his neck.

"NO WAY," he almost shouted as he jumped up and ran for the kitchen, then hollered from in there, "I FUCKING LOVE YOU!"

I stood there laughing for a few seconds before slowly walking to the kitchen in time to catch him stirring the Dr. Pepper I'd put in the freezer before we left. Adorable.

"You're so cute," I shook my head.

"You know how delicious this is."

"I do," I nodded, and pushed myself up onto the counter. "Can I have some?"

"Of course," he said, and held out a spoonful for me.

I leaned forward and opened my mouth for him. He barely had the spoon back out before his lips were on mine. I moaned in surprise, and was even more surprised when he set the glass on the counter.

"That's going to melt," I said when he pulled back.

"We'll put it back in the freezer."

I opened my mouth to argue but he kissed me again. We stayed there in the kitchen, just making out for a while. Kissing was yummy, and it was easy to forget just _how _yummy when there was the possibility of sex. But we stopped at kissing. Well, okay, Eric had his hands all over my boobs, but that was to be expected. I lost track of how long we were there for, but when he pulled back with a dopey grin on his face (and his hands still firmly planted on my rack), I couldn't help trying to copy his grin.

"What's the face about?" I asked.

"I love boobs," he said.

I burst out laughing and slapped his hands away. "You are such a dork sometimes."

"You love me anyway," he said, and tried to touch them again.

"Nuh uh! You're cut off. I believe you mentioned a cake earlier," I grinned. I wanted cake.

"We haven't had supper yet."

"Ugh. Fine. So what are we doing for dinner?"

"We are having sesame chicken and fried rice," he grinned.

"Shut up! Are you making it or are we going out?" I bounced with excitement on the counter.

"I'm making it."

"Do I get to play sous chef or should I just sit here and be pretty?" I laughed, remembering my last sous chef endeavor.

"It's your birthday, so you get to choose."

"Mmm... I don't want to screw anything up so I think I'll just sit here and be pretty," I grinned at him. "We get distracted too easily."

"That is true," he smiled knowingly. "Why don't you sit there and tell me all about your day."

"We've been together all day," I reminded him as he started gathering the necessary stuff for dinner.

"Yes but I'd like to hear about it like I wasn't there. Like, I hear your amazing boyfriend make you a delicious breakfast and then fucked you silly."

"He did. And he bought me a yummy lunch and an air mattress so he can go camping with me. We spent most of the day being lazy, but he went for a walk with me even though he hates hot weather. He's a pretty good guy, that boyfriend," I smiled at him while he prepped the food.

"I hear he's the best sex you've ever had too."

"He's also quite the fisherman," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"He sounds like a great guy," he winked at me.

"Mostly," I shrugged.

"Are there any negatives to him?"

"A few, but we all have our flaws," I reached over and plucked a baby carrot from the cutting board. I added, "And I wouldn't change him even if I could."

"I'll bet he feels the same about you."

"I'm sure he does," I smiled. "The good outweighs the bad, though."

"Yes it does."

"He's a total caketease though," I smirked and hopped off the counter to get something to drink.

"Maybe he just believes that dessert should be had _after_ dinner."

"Bet he'd feel different if I took my clothes off and laid on the kitchen table."

"He would, but later he would be sad that his girlfriend didn't have the patience to wait while he cooked her favorite meal."

Eric lecturing _me_ about having patience- that was rich.

"I suppose I can cut him a break," I sighed and returned to the counter to stand next to him. I swear it was an accident when I brushed my boobs against his arm.

"Tease," he smirked at me.

"What?" I asked innocently. "I'm just standing here being pretty."

"Take a deep breath, Sookie. Doesn't this smell delicious?"

I leaned over the pan and inhaled. "Yes, it does," I smiled at him over my shoulder.

"It's gonna be great."

"Smells like it. Sooo... why don't you tell me about your day with your girlfriend," I moved so I was standing behind him, pressed against his back while he continued chopping, slicing and stirring things.

"Well, I woke her up and made her breakfast, then we had the best sex of my life with one of the presents I gave her."

"Sounds like a good way to start the day. Is it going to end just as well?" I kissed the back of his arm since it was what I could most easily reach.

"It's going to end even better," he said, slightly looking over his shoulder.

"Anything you care to share with the rest of the class?" I wasn't above using my boobs to my advantage and rubbed against him a little.

"Not quite yet."

"Not even a little hint?" My hands moved around to his stomach and started traveling south.

"I think you could probably guess..."

"You know, I was thinking that if you're interested, we could try something a little different tonight..." I said somewhat nervously and pushed myself up onto the counter again.

"I'm open to suggestions," he said.

"I seem to recall you mentioning wanting to try something a while back... I think we should try it," I said and Eric turned to face me.

"I think you're going to have to specifically tell me what you're talking about so I don't assume..."

How I managed to say it without blushing, I'll never know, but I said, "Anal sex."

His jaw dropped open for a moment, and then he checked himself. "You really want that for your birthday?"

"I think it could be fun, and I know it's something you've been wanting to do for a while."

A slow smile spread across his lips, and he leaned down to kiss me. "But I don't have any lube."

"Yes you do. I just haven't given it to you yet," I smiled back. Yeah, I'd been planning on dropping this bomb on him for a while.

"Seriously?" he asked, his face completely disbelieving.

I nodded and said, "I've had a lot of time to think about it. I've been waiting for the right time to bring it up. This seemed like the right time. But if you don't want to-"

"No, I want to," he grinned. "I'm a little nervous about it though, but really happy that you want to."

"Okay then," I crossed my legs and looked over at the stove. "So how long until dinner is ready?"

"Not long now," he smiled at me. "Then cake."

"Want me to set the table?" I offered.

"Please," he said.

I slid off the counter and grabbed plates and silverware to set the table. Eric was oddly quiet and when I looked over my shoulder at him, I could practically see the wheels in his mind turning. Rapidly.

"Are you okay?" I asked him as I returned to the counter.

"Not really," he admitted with a laugh. "I'm freaking out."

"Why?" I put my hand on his arm softly. "Look, Eric, we don't have to do this if you don't want to. We can wait on it."

"No, no, I want to, I really do. I just wasn't prepared at all, and I've never done it before, so I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. I feel like I'm about to lose my virginity all over again."

"Well, I've done some reading on it, and I got a few things that will make this easy. We don't have to go all the way tonight. It might end up being too much for me. We'll just see what happens," I said calmly and hoped he would relax.

He took a deep breath, and said, "Okay. Okay, I can do it. Just don't expect it to be wonderful. Losing my v-card the first time was traumatizing enough."

"It's going to be fine," I leaned over and kissed his jaw. "And if we're not comfortable with it, we'll stop."

"Okay. No pressure."

"Absolutely no pressure. We'll just see what happens," I assured him and wrapped my arm around his waist. "Besides, if that doesn't work out, there's always the birthday spanking," I snickered.

"And I know I'm good at that," he smiled.

"Yes you are," I laughed quietly but then asked, "So can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Okay, so we sort of talked about this before, but you were pretty tight lipped about it..."

"Uh huh..."

"What happened when you lost your virginity that was so traumatic?" I leaned against the counter, and by the way he tensed up I could tell the topic really made him uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure you want to hear this story, especially on your birthday."

"Sweetie, we just had a conversation about anal sex while cooking dinner together. Barring you were raped your first time, I think I can handle it."

"I wasn't raped," he sighed. "Let's sit down to eat, and I'll tell you, but be warned that it will probably make you never want to sleep with me again."

I lifted an eyebrow, wondering just how bad it could really be, but went over to the table to grab the plates I'd put there for us. We dished up our food and then sat down together. I sat patiently and waited for Eric to start talking.

"I lost my virginity when I was seventeen to my sixteen year old girlfriend of about three weeks. She was eager to lose hers, and I was too, so we decided to do it. I bought condoms, and some candles, thinking it would be sweet, but it turned out I bought a scent that agitated her so I had to blow them out and air out the room before we could get started," he said, then paused to take a bite, and probably to collect his thoughts.

"Everything was going as fine as you'd expect. I fumbled with her bra, and pulled her hair accidentally when I tried to take her shirt off, and she didn't know what the hell she was doing with my dick," he laughed. "But then again, I didn't really know what the hell I was doing with her vagina either."

He paused again to take a drink of his water, then continued. "We finally got to the main event, and I lasted _maybe _ten seconds. It was probably only three thrusts, and I came. She looked horrified when I did, so that didn't help, but that's not even the worst of it."

"I think you just described a lot of teenage boys' first time," I smiled and took another bite of my chicken. It was amazing, by the way.

"That's not when it turned traumatizing."

"Okay?"

"We did it with the lights off, right?"

"Right," I smiled.

"Well, I was sitting up on my knees, about to pull the condom off, and she sits up and turns on the lamp next to the bed," he paused and closed his eyes for a second. "I was looking down at myself, and as soon as the light came on, I started freaking out, and then she started screaming and kicking and hitting me. There was blood, everywhere."

"Oh no," I covered my mouth and tried not to laugh.

"It was on my hands, because of trying to get off the condom, and it was all over her thighs and legs, and the fucking sheets, and in all the commotion the damn condom came off and that mess was added to it. My first instinct was that I'd hurt her on accident, because I didn't know what the fuck to expect with a virgin, and I think that may have been her first thought too, given how much she was kicking and hitting me. Eventually she sprinted into the bathroom and I was left in her room, covered in blood, and I had no fucking clue what to do."

"Awww... that's... what bitch that girl was," I couldn't help laughing a little.

"It wasn't funny! I wanted to run, but I was still thinking that I had hurt her, and I almost called an ambulance," he said. "She finally called through the door to see if I was still there, and explained that she had gotten her period and wanted me to leave. I told her I had blood on me, so she passed me a wet washcloth through the door, apologized, and told me to get dressed and go. She never spoke to me or looked me in the eye again."

"Wow... and for the record I'm not laughing at _you_; I'm laughing at the situation," I clarified and took a bite of my rice. "If it makes you feel any better, my first time wasn't exactly perfect either."

"Oh yeah? Were you so traumatized that you asked every girl that almost slept with you for three years if she was about to start her period, resulting in you not getting laid for three years?"

"Uh no," I looked down at my plate.

"Okay, what about yours wasn't perfect?"

"Aside from the lack of foreplay? That was how Alcide found out that he was allergic to latex," I said and took a big drink of my water. "We had to go to the emergency room."

"Oh God," he said, looking horrified. "He didn't use foreplay?"

"He did a little, but not enough. We were kids, you know? We didn't really know what good sex was supposed to be, and neither of our parents really sat us down and gave us the talk. Dad would rather pretend I'm going to be a virgin until the day I die, and Mom... Mom just offered to take me for birth control if I needed it. Everything I learned about sex I learned on my own either from my friends, those Skinamax movies on Friday nights or by listening in on my brother and his perverted friends talking about the things they did with girls."

"It still sounds better than ending up covered in period blood."

"I wasn't trying to one up you, Eric. I just wanted you to know that it's normal for something less than ideal to happen, that's all," I took another bite of chicken. "And this is amazing, by the way. Thank you for making me dinner."

"I know, but there's less than ideal, and then there's covered in period blood," he shook his head. "And you're welcome. I'm glad you still have your appetite."

"You survived to fuck another day," I shrugged.

"I suppose."

"Oh come on! It was fifteen years ago, Eric, and sex has definitely gotten better since then, right?" I pointed out.

"Yes, and I've long since gotten over my trauma, obviously, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a bad experience."

"It was," I agreed.

We ate quietly for a while, and as usual I finished before Eric. I sat back in my chair and sipped my water. I was careful not to eat too much. I needed room for cake, after all.

"I've never tried making this myself before. I'll have to try it sometime," I said as Eric finished what was on his plate.

"It's not hard," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" I sighed.

"I'm reliving the horror," he sighed dramatically. "Maybe we should fuck when you're on your period so I can get over it."

"Seriously?"

"I don't know, I think it might help. Replace a bad memory with a good one."

"Maybe," I shrugged. "That might work out, actually, since according to my calculations your birthday falls during Hell Week."

"Fucking fuck, are you serious?"

"Would I make that up?" I took my plate to the sink. Only I totally was. I was a bad, bad, girlfriend.

"I would hope not. Why during my birthday?" he pouted.

"You're just lucky, I guess?" I wrapped my arms around his shoulders from behind and rested my chin by his neck. "But I'm sure we can find plenty of ways to celebrate your birthday that don't include sex."

"Like food, and dancing, and more food."

"For starters. We still have our annual mini golf game to play," I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Yes we do," he said, and brought his hand up to caress my forearm. "Now how about we get me out of this mood and get back to your birthday with some cake?"

"That is a fantastic idea," I stood up and Eric did as well a moment later. "Are you going to sing to me again?" I laughed as he got the cake out of the fridge.

"You liked it the first time, right?"

"You're a great birthday singer," I leaned against the island.

"Let me get another candle for you to blow out," he said, and started digging in a drawer for a candle and lighter. When he found one, he opened the cake box and stuck the candle in the middle, lit it, and presented it to me, not letting me blow it out until he was finished singing Happy Birthday.

I smiled at him, made a second wish and blew out the candle.

"What kind of cake is this?" I asked and pulled the candle out to lick the frosting off. Mmm... buttercream.

"Chocolate cake, buttercream frosting."

"Ugh, this is going to go straight to my ass. Oh well," I didn't even wait for him to cut me a piece, I just grabbed a fork from the drawer and dug right in. "Orgasmic," I said with my mouth full.

He laughed and said, "I'm glad you like it. It's from that bakery in the city that you love."

"Mmm... it's amazing," I loaded the fork and held it up for him.

"Thank you," he said, and took the bite from me. "Jesus."

"It should be illegal for cake to be this yummy," I went for another bite.

"Not if it makes you make noises like you do."

"Cake's not the only thing that makes me make noises like that," I winked at him and offered him the fork.

"I'll be helping you out with that soon enough."

Eric took another bite of the cake and then fed me one. A few bites later I'd had my fill, and he put the cake back in the fridge. I started grabbing up dishes to clean the kitchen, but Eric stopped me.

"Don't you want to clean all this up?" I asked, surprised he seemed willing to put off the cleanup.

"I'd rather go upstairs and start working on your gift since it's going to need to happen slowly," he smiled, bashfully.

"Okay," I set the dishes down on the counter and reached for his hand. "Lead the way."

"Or, I could do this," he said as he swept me up bridal style.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and asked, "Are you sure you want to carry me up the stairs? I can walk."

"You think I'm not strong enough?"

"I know you can; you just don't have to," I said, but by then Eric had already started up the steps.

"I want to," he said, and kissed me.

I let myself get lost in it and the next thing I knew he was setting me down on his bed. I scooted back a little bit but then he reached out and pulled me toward him again, his hands moving slowly up under my skirt. I wiggled a little to pull my skirt up and then my dress was up over my head with Eric's help. With my dress out of the way, Eric leaned down to kiss me. His hands went straight to my boobs and he pushed me back onto my elbows.

I broke the kiss and said, "Strip for me. Slowly."

Eric grinned and stood up straight. He wasn't wearing much, but he took off what he was wearing very slowly. I watched with eyes full of lust, and my bottom lip tucked between my teeth in anticipation. When he was naked, Eric pulled me to the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees in front of me. He kissed his way up my leg before hooking his fingers into the sides of the panties I was wearing and tugging them down. I lifted my hips so he could side them off of me and they hadn't even hit the ground before his face was buried between my thighs.

My head fell back against the mattress and Eric's hands snaked up my stomach to cover my breasts. He squeezed and pinched them while his tongue worked against my clit. In no time at all I was writhing against him. My knees pressed against either side of his head, holding him to me while his tongue switched tactics and dipped inside me. I grabbed his hands and our fingers laced together, our palms meeting and pressing against one another.

My hips rolled and rocked to meet his mouth, and the little groans and growls that escaped him sent vibrations shivering through me. He let go of my hands and unlocked my legs to push them a little further apart. He held me down and continued to eat me out until I came twice. I was already a jittery, shaking mess when he reached over and grabbed the hitachi off the night stand. I whimpered at the thought of what that thing was going to do to me, and when he flipped it on the lower speed I braced myself. It barely touched my clit and I screamed.

"That's it, sweetheart," he said quietly and stood up. He stroked his cock a couple of times and then entered me slowly. "Fuck yes. Goddamn this feels good."

Yeah, I bet it did. There was a geiser going off between my legs, and the hitachi being used on my super sensitive clit had me coming over and over.

"Enough," I panted after I'd orgasmed a fourth time.

"Never," Eric turned off the hitachi, though, and tossed it to the side.

He pulled out of me and inserted his fingers instead, pumping them slowly for a little while before removing them and moving down to my ass. He pressed the opening there, but didn't push in.

"Turn over for me, sweetheart," he said and I did what he asked.

Per my instruction, Eric walked around to the other side of the bed and reached into the night stand. After the conversation we'd had about trying anal sex I'd gone out and bought condoms and lube especially for the experience since I told him there was no way we were having anal sex without a condom. He grabbed what he needed from the drawer and then walked around to the other side of the bed. I got up on my knees but kept my head pressed against the mattress.

He growled and traced his fingers up and down my slit before pushing them into me again. With his other hand he flipped the cap on the lube and poured some between my cheeks. It was cold and made me squeal a little, but then his fingers were at my other entrance again and he slowly pushed one of them into me. I moaned a little and Eric slowly twisted his finger as he pumped it in and out.

"How does it feel, Sookie?" he asked after a minute or two.

"Good," I smiled.

One finger wasn't bad. It was tight, obviously, but nothing I couldn't handle. The thought of having his cock inside me while he fingered my ass turned me on even more, and when we put a second finger inside me I tensed up a little.

"Relax, Sookie," he caressed my thighs and hips in a soothing way. "If it's too much, just tell me."

"Just tight," I took deep breaths while my body stretched in new ways for him.

"I'll go slow," he promised me, and I knew he would keep that promise.

If he didn't, he could cross this off the list of things he was allowed to do when we were in bed together.

Two fingers was about all I could take, although he tried for a third.

"Too much," I said when I felt pain.

Immediately he stopped what he was doing and leaned down to kiss my shoulder.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked with genuine concern.

"No, it's just… I'm not ready for more yet. This is enough for now," I panted.

"That's fine, sweetheart," he assured me and reached around to rub my clit with his other hand.

"Oh shit," I groaned, feeling the pressure of another orgasm starting to build. "Baby, I want your cock in me."

Eric growled behind me, and I knew it was just as big of a turn on for him when I talked dirty as it was for me when he did it. He pulled his fingers out of me and climbed onto the bed to sit with his back against the headboard. I climbed onto his lap and lowered myself onto his cock. He hissed as I sank down and he pulled my face to his by the back of my head to kiss me. Meanwhile his other hand moved around behind me and just as I was about to start riding him, his fingers entered me again.

"Oh fuck!" I shouted at the fullness I was feeling.

"Like that?" he asked when my pussy started to flutter around his cock.

"Yes!" I shouted and rocked my hips.

The counter rhythm of his cock and fingers was overwhelming and in no time my orgasm hit me light a freight train. My back arched and he caught one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking hard while I came down from my high. Eric removed his fingers, grabbed my hips and thrust up into me hard and fast until he came too. I collapsed against him as he shuddered and groaned underneath me. His arms wrapped around me waist, holding me against him. As if I was going to move?

I had the shakes from head to toe, and when he softened enough that he slipped out of me, I lifted my head from the hollow of his neck to kiss him. His tongue battled with mine, and he rolled us over so he was on top of me. Eric kissed my face all over and ground his pubic bone against my clit. I moaned with an aftershock and he smiled at me.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," he smile grew into a grin, and then he kissed me again.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo I warned you at the beginning. I'm wondering how many of you paid attention. Also, now we know what happened when Eric lost his virginity. I told you we'd get that story before all was said and done. And I just have to take a minute to rat out Scribe real quick. She brought up that anal sex idea all on her own, but then left me holding the bag with having to write it since Scribe is <em>way<em> too prone to blushy face to write something like that. Not that she wouldn't have FarDareIsMai and me cheering on her on the whole time, but it just won't ever happen. I guess you'll have to wait and see if Eric ever gets to go all the way. Thanks for reading!**


	30. Can't You See

Chapter 30: Can't You See

"_Can't you see, oh, can't you see what that woman, Lord, she been doin' to me?" –Marshall Tucker Band_

For as long as I could remember, my family had been going on annual camping trips. Before they moved away, we had gone camping with our next door neighbors, the Horowitz family. They had a couple of boys around the same age as Jason and me, and since our parents had all become friends it just made sense for all of us to go together. The first boy I ever kissed was Barry Horowitz when I was twelve and he was a super awkward fourteen-year-old. He had braces, acne and hair that never cooperated, but he was sweet to me and at the time it seemed like a good idea.

Of course since I was twelve and had never kissed a boy before, nor did I know anything about the normal reactions of teenage male anatomy, I totally freaked out when he got a hard-on and ran away from me. I figured I was just a bad kisser, and spent the next three years living under that assumption until Alcide finally asked me out. By then the Herveauxs had replaced the Horowitzes as our camping buddies, and our parents carefully monitored to make sure there was no musical sleeping bags going on in the middle of the night.

I sat on Eric's bed watching him pack for the trip. We were leaving in the morning bright and early. My car was mostly loaded. All that was missing were the snacks for the road and Eric's bags.

"Honey, you're not going to need long johns for this," I said as he folded a pair. We were going to Michigan, not the Antarctic.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It'll get chilly at night, but not so cold that those will be necessary. Besides, since we'll be sleeping on the air mattress we'll be warmer already," I assured him.

"Alright," he said, and put them back in his dresser cautiously.

"I promise I'll find a way to keep you warm if you get cold," I winked at him. "Besides, why do you even have those?"

"No reason," he said. "I was just watching this movie once and they looked really comfy so I bought a pair, and I've never gotten to wear them. I like the cold too much."

"Try sleeping on the ground for a night and then get back to me on that. Last time I went camping I forgot how cold it gets at night when you sleep on the ground and I woke up shivering... twice," I recalled with a shudder.

"I'll be there to keep you warm."

"Which reminds me, we need to make sure to set our tent up at least twenty yards away from wherever my parents set up camp," I grinned at him.

"Good thinking, plus you'll just have to learn to be quiet."

"Oh because _I'm _the only loud one around here?" I scoffed and Eric laughed.

"I'm not even loud," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh whatever," I rolled my eyes right back at him. "I seem to recall you making all sorts of noise the last time I visited you at the bar."

"You were particularly talented that night," he said with a grin.

"Then I'll make sure I half ass it while we're camping," I joked and stretched out on his bed. "I will miss sleeping on this bed though. I'm sure the air mattress will be comfortable, but it won't beat this."

Eric hadn't bought just any old air mattress either. It was a top of the line, queen size air mattress that required an air compressor and sheets. It was the sort of mattress you would keep around the house for guests, but I wouldn't complain about taking it camping with us. The further off the ground we ended up, the warmer we would be.

"Then we'll just have to get back in this one as soon as possible."

"The best thing you can pack too much of would be socks. Those long legs of yours are going to end up hanging off the end of the bed," I smiled up at him.

"I don't know, I plan to be curled up around you the whole night," he said.

"Good. You can keep the bears away," I teased.

"There will be bears?"

I laughed and said, "No, Eric, we're going to be just off the beach."

"Ooooh beach sex," his grin grew impossibly wider.

"I'm sure we could find a way to work that in. Once the sun goes down the old folks will be sitting around the fire drinking beer and talking the night away or playing cards until they pass out for the night." It was a given. It happened every single year.

"Fucking awesome."

"Drinking around the campfire is a necessity," I laughed.

"It sounds fun. And you promised there would be 'smores."

"I have all the fixins for it packed up in the car already," I nodded. "I'm going to need your help pitching the tent though, because I'm just not tall enough to do it alone."

Thankfully my parents were bringing my tent up with them because there was no way it was going to fit in my car. When I went out and bought one of my own, I picked a tent large enough to sleep a bunch of people in it. When it was all set up, it looked like a cabin and had a small screened in porch area attached to the front of it. The main interior of the tent was divided into three sections, so there would be more than enough room for the air bed Eric had bought me. The tent was about seven and a half feet tall when it was all set up, which was perfect for my boyfriend with the go-go gadget arms.

"You know I will."

I burst out laughing all of a sudden and when Eric lifted an eyebrow my way I said, "It's just that usually I'm not the one pitching a tent around here, that's all, and you don't really need my assistance."

He actually let out a small giggle at that. "When you're right, you're right."

I grabbed my phone and made sure my alarm was set for ten the following morning. We didn't have to be on the road too early. Any sooner than that and we would just be sitting in the morning rush hour traffic. My parents wouldn't be getting up to the campsite until somewhere around lunchtime anyway, and as long as we were there before dark to get the tent set up we'd be just fine.

"So what do you think the chances of Pam showing up are?" I asked once the alarm was set. She had been invited since she was part of the family, and she said she would consider it, but I wasn't holding my breath over it.

"Slim to none," he laughed cynically. "She wouldn't dare do something like camping."

"Pam sleeping in a tent... covered in bug spray... no indoor plumbing..." I fell over laughing at the thought of it.

"It's a shame though, we could have pulled a Parent Trap prank on her."

"How would we do that?" I asked when I sobered up a little.

"Floating her on a mattress out onto the lake while she's sleeping, giving her sugar water and telling her it'll keep the mosquitoes away..."

"Oh my God!" I started laughing again, but then said, "Dude, if you ever do something like that, I want no part in it."

"Why? Are you afraid of Pam?"

"Do the words 'fuck yeah' mean anything to you? She's a scary bitch when she wants to be."

"Ehh, I can handle her shit."

"Which is why you're on your own. Pam and I are iffy enough with one another as of late without her getting pissy with me for some silly prank. Even if it would be hilarious to see her come stomping up from the beach looking like a drowned rat," I admitted with a smile.

Eric finished his packing and took his bags down to my car a short time later. I went downstairs to let Sully out one more time and then we settled on the couch to watch a movie and enjoy the air conditioning.

"Sully is really starting to enjoy it here," Eric commented.

"Are you kidding? He loves it here. He can be out in the yard all day long if he wants. Going back to my house is like going back to prison," I snickered while he picked the movie.

"He's really going to love it when you two move in."

"Been thinking about that some more, have you?" I propped my feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah, I have," he smiled back at me. "I'm mostly just dealing with the idea of getting used to you being messy."

"I've been getting better," I huffed in my own defense. "I make your bed in the morning now, don't I?"

"You do," he said. "But you haven't mastered getting your wet towels in the hamper yet."

I grinned and said, "Maybe I do that just to annoy you."

"It's always struck me that that was a possibility."

"Well yeah. I mean, you never see wet towels on the floor at my place, do you?" I smirked. "At least I stopped rearranging your DVDs."

"_I knew it!_"

"Knew what?"

"You've been fucking with my movies. I went to watch _Singin' in the Rain_ the other day, and _Seven Brides for Seven Brothers_ was in it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said but my face betrayed me. Big time. "Also, that should be my Facebook status."

"You're evil," he glared at me. "It took me forever to find it."

"Ha! You should see what I did to the Harry Potter DVDs," I cackled.

His eyes narrowed, and he said, "Nice try. When my musicals were all messed up, the Harry Potter DVDs were the first ones I checked. That's a little too evil for you."

"Yes, I know better than to mess with the great Harry Potter," I rolled my eyes.

"Good."

"_Star Wars_, however..."

"Not cool, Sookie."

"I love you, Eric..." I batted my eyelashes at him and he growled at me.

"I love you too," he grumbled.

"Oh come on, don't pout. Go pick the movie and I'll go get us some ice cream," I leaned over and kissed his cheek a couple of times before getting up.

I went to the kitchen to get the ice cream and froze mid-scoop when I heard the unmistakable sound of _Star Wars_ going on in the living room. I groaned to myself and imagined the evil little smile on Eric's face. I suppose I had it coming, but it was just so easy to mess with him. Besides, I was pretty sure I could distract him from the movie anyway. Either that, or I was definitely going to end up taking a nap on his couch. One way or the other, I'd win.

"Dude, you owe me a chick flick for this!" I shouted from the kitchen.

"It'll be more than worth it," he hollered back.

"We are _so_ watching _Beaches_," I grumbled and put the ice cream back in the freezer.

**oOoOoOo**

I turned to the right and we were officially off the paved road and heading into the woods. The beach was to our left, and in less than a tenth of a mile I saw where Mom and Dad had already set up their tent. What I wasn't prepared for were the two other tents that were set up, along with the familiar navy blue truck that was parked near Mr. and Mrs. Herveaux's big conversion van.

"Oh fuck," I grumbled as we came to a stop.

"What?" Eric asked.

"My parents neglected to tell me that the Herveauxs were coming up too," I sighed and put the Jeep in park.

"Please tell me you just mean Alcide's parents."

"Oh, I wish," I muttered and turned the car off. I looked over at Eric, who was immediately pissed and said, "I swear I didn't know he was coming."

"I know you didn't, but what the fuck? This was supposed to be fun, not end with me killing that son of a bitch."

"You're not going to kill him," I said and opened the door. "Just ignore him as best you can."

"I can't promise to try my best."

"Eric, please..." I pleaded with him.

"Alright fine, but I'm only doing it for you. Also, I'm too pretty for prison," he said.

"Yes, you are," I leaned over and kissed him. "Besides, just keep in mind that you raised the bar."

"Yes I fucking did," he grinned.

He pecked me once more and then we got out of the car. I opened the back door for and Sully was out like a shot, running toward Mom and Dad's tent a good ten yards away. Dad and Jackson, Alcide's father, were off loading firewood. I had no idea where Mom and Claire, Alcide's mother, were. I did, however, hear a baby crying and I stopped in my tracks.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" I groaned and looked over at Eric. "He brought his kid! Who the hell brings an infant on a camping trip?"

"A fucking idiot," he said simply.

I snickered and then walked over to take his hand. We walked together to where Dad and Jackson were working on the fire pit, getting things all set for later on. We had at least another four or five hours of daylight left, but I was willing to bet the fire would be started long before that.

"Hey Daddy," I said to get his attention.

Dad turned around and grinned at us. "Hey! I'm glad you got here when you did. We were starting to wonder where you were."

I let go of Eric's hand to give Dad a hug. He had been pleasantly surprised to learn Eric and I were dating, but then he'd always liked Eric. I figured it was more of Dad's denial about me staying a virgin until the day I died that allowed him to be okay with it.

"How are ya, Eric?" Dad extended his hand after I let him go.

"Doing good, sir," he said, and gripped my dad's hand firmly.

"Good to hear it. We got your tent in the back of the truck whenever you want to set it up," Dad pointed to where the truck was parked. "Michele and Claire are down at the beach with Maria."

"Yeah, about that," I motioned for Dad to follow me away from where Jackson was for a minute. "You could have called and warned me the Herveauxs were coming."

"We didn't know Alcide and his family were coming until they showed up. Apparently they didn't tell Jackson and Claire, either, so it was a big surprise to all of us," Dad explained and looked at Eric. "Not that I blame you for wanting to knock him into the middle of next week, son, but don't do it in front of me or I'll have no choice but to haul you in when we get home."

"Yes sir," Eric grinned.

I rolled my eyes and said, "There will be no knocking Alcide into the middle of next week, understand?"

I stared at both of them, waiting for them to agree with me.

"I can't make you any promises like that, baby girl," Dad said and I groaned, knowing full well that Eric was likely to agree with Dad.

"I have to agree, sweetheart."

"Ugh. You both suck. I'm gonna go say hello to Jackson. Try to stay out of trouble, will you?" I shook my head at them.

"Us? We're angels," Daddy said and put his arm around Eric's shoulders.

"He's right, you know?" Eric said with a devilish smile.

"Yeah, right, and Jason's still a virgin," I rolled my eyes again and went to say my hellos to Jackson.

Jackson Herveaux was a good guy, and I had never held it against his parents what had happened between Alcide and me. They weren't to blame for the way things ended between us. I knew for a fact that they had been plenty pissed at their son for the way he treated me. Mrs. Herveaux had always treated me like another daughter, and it was only because of the awkwardness with Alcide that I had kept my distance from his family.

I introduced Jackson to Eric since they'd never met, and there was something almost smug in Jackson's eyes when he learned that Eric was my boyfriend.

"Nice to meet you," Jackson said and extended a hand to Eric just as Alcide came out of his tent. He was smiling until he saw Eric standing next to me.

Good. Served him right.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Herveaux," Eric said as he shook Jackson's hand.

"Call me Jackson," Jackson grinned and turned when he heard the snapping of twigs with Alcide's approach.

"Sure thing," Eric smiled.

"Alcide," I said cordially, and wasn't prepared for it when he swept me up in a big hug like we were long lost friends.

"Sookie, how've you been?" he asked as he squeezed me.

"Put me down and I'll tell you," I said through a clenched jaw. I was pretty sure I heard Eric growl behind me. He set me down and I said, "I've been very good, thank you. You remember Eric, right? My boyfriend..." I stepped back and Eric wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Yeah, I remember," Alcide stared Eric down.

"Alcide," Eric nodded at him in greeting.

"So where's your wife?" I asked with a smug grin on my face and Jackson coughed to cover a chuckle.

Alcide's eyes darkened a little and he said, "She's at the beach. So, you two are still together, huh?"

I let Eric take that one.

"We are," Eric grinned. "I'd be a total idiot to let her go."

I turned my head and kissed his cheek. "I know you wouldn't do that, baby."

Yeah, I was going to spread it on thick. Alcide deserved it after the way things went the last time we saw each other. Asshole.

"So it sounds like your wife had the baby?" I asked just to be polite.

Alcide dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet to show me a picture of his baby. "His name is Landon and he's almost four months old."

He was a cute kid, but if Eric and I had kids, ours would be cuter.

"Good for you," I smiled at Alcide.

Sully came trotting over and sniffed around Alcide, who immediate growled a little. Oh right, he was allergic to dogs. Eric was going to love that when I told him.

"Yeah, we like him. He's finally sleeping through the night. The first three months were terrible," Alcide shook his head and put his wallet back in his pocket. "So what about you two? You talking about getting hitched yet?"

If it were anyone else I would think it was just a harmless question. With Alcide, on the other hand, I got the feeling he was sniffing around. The way he was looking at me made me uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Just waiting on the right moment to come along," Eric said. "I'd be proud to have Sookie as my wife and the mother of my children."

I already knew those things, but it made my heart flutter a little to hear it.

Alcide looked from Eric to me like he was looking for a crack he could wiggled his way into to try and cause some trouble. Thankfully his son started wailing again.

"Duty calls," Alcide said and went back to the tent.

"I've got fishing wire if you want to put a trip wire in front of his tent," Dad whispered to Eric as he passed us by.

"Daddy!" I chided and Eric laughed. "Come on, let's get the tent set up."

"Yes ma'am," Eric chuckled and followed me.

I opened the van and started to pull on the bundle that was the tent. "This thing ways like sixty pounds," I told Eric as I pulled on it.

"Let me help you," he said and grabbed for it to pull too.

"It'll probably take about an hour to get this thing set up, but it'll be worth it when we're done," I said as we hauled the tent out of the back of the van.

I looked around for a clearer spot and took sun positioning into consideration so we wouldn't be in the shade in the morning and freeze our asses off. I pointed to an area a little to the west, and we headed that way to get things going.

"Ever put up a tent before?" I asked as I untied the bundle and started to sort out the parts.

"Nope, but I'm sure you'll help me out."

"The supports are all color coded so it's not too bad. The hardest part is getting the roof up," I explained and started to lay out the tarps. "But that's where your super long arms come in handy."

"Just tell me what to do and I'll be good."

Once I get everything all sorted it was a pretty quick process, and it really did go a lot faster with Eric's help. Although Daddy did his best to distract us. He was a one man peanut gallery. Thankfully Mom came back and got him situated with a new project to keep him out of our hair. It seemed like in no time at all we had the whole thing set up, and the last thing we had to do was secure the tent to the ground with a couple of stakes around the perimeter.

"When you put the stakes in you want to make sure you do it at like a forty-five degree angle," I told him and then used a mallet to put one in the ground. "You want to try it?"

"Sure," he grinned as he took the mallet from me. "I'm quite the expert at banging things."

"Baby, I'm putting that on your tombstone," I said and he nearly smashed his hand with the mallet.

"Hey now, don't distract me."

"You started it," I giggled and moved around the tent with him as he pounded the stakes into place one at a time until he had them all in.

He stood up and admired our handy work with a whistle. "Looks good, sweetheart."

"I'd say so. Now we have to offload all of our gear," I grinned and headed for the Jeep.

"Sheesh, camping is hard work."

"Yes sir," I opened the trunk and pulled out our duffle bags. "We should probably start by setting the bed up. I'm used to sleeping on the ground so I'm not sure where the best place is to put the bed."

"Probably not next to one of the walls, right?"

"No, probably not," I smirked as I picked up the box with the air mattress in it. "We don't need the tent wiggling all over the place when you can't keep your hands to yourself."

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "Are we close to Alcide's tent by any chance?"

I narrowed my eyes and pointed to the left where a large blue tent was set up. "That's Alcide's tent."

"You are so evil, I love it," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, remember my _father_ who carries a _gun_ is right over there," I pointed to the white tent behind ours.

"Dammit."

I had no intention of telling him that if Dad had enough beer, he wouldn't hear a damn thing once he passed out. There were just some things Eric was better off not knowing.

"I'm sure you'll find plenty of other ways to let Alcide know that I'm spoken for," I said as I pulled the air mattress out of the box and Eric got the compressor set up.

"Oh I will, and I will make him thoroughly regret the day he hurt you. Both of the days."

"You say the sweetest things to me," I smiled up at him while I connected the compressor to the air mattress.

"I love you. It's my job to say sweet things."

He started the compressor and a few minutes later the bed was all inflated. I started for the 'door' to grab our bags, but Eric tackled me backward instead.

"Eric!" I laughed as we bounced. "You're going to pop it before we even get to christen it!"

"This baby won't pop," he smiled, and kissed me.

"It better not, or I'm sleeping in the Jeep. Alone." I warned him.

"You'll need me for warmth."

"I have blankets," I shrugged.

"But blankets don't create warmth, they just hold heat in, therefore having me under the blanket with you would create more heat."

"Whatever, as long as Alcide doesn't think he can come be my replacement snuggle buddy," I snorted.

Eric growled and pinned my hands down as he rolled on top of me fully. "The fuck if he will. He had his chance."

"And I have no interest in giving him another," I reassured Eric.

"I know. Why would you wish to lower the bar again?"

"Just try to ignore him. I'm sure he'll behave himself better when his wife is around to yank his leash."

"Have you met her yet?"

"No, I haven't. He was with her the day I ran into him, but I didn't talk to her."

"I wonder what she's like."

"I guess we'll find out," I said and took my wrists back. "Wanna take a walk and see what's around? We can stop down by the beach if you want."

"To scope out a spot for fucking?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "I was thinking more about just to see how clean it is. This side of the lake is cleaner, usually, but I haven't been up in a couple of summers."

"Oh, that too."

"Come on," I got up and reached back for his hand.

He groaned as I pulled him up from the bed. "I was so comfortable."

"I know, but dinner will be ready soon enough and we'll sleep like the dead later," I promised him as we walked out of the tent.

"I'm looking forward to that. And the 'smores."

"Of course the 'smores," I laughed and waved at Mom as we walked away from the campsite.

We walked toward the road and then crossed it to get to the staircase that led down to the beach. There were a few people down there, but it wasn't too crowded. From where we were standing at the top of the stairs it would be easy to confuse Lake Michigan with a more tropical setting. The sand was almost white and the water was much clearer than it was in Chicago.

"I'll have to remember to bring my camera tomorrow," I said and started down the rickety staircase.

"It's so beautiful out here."

"Yes it is," I agreed and when we got to the bottom of the stairs I took my sandals off and carried them while we walked through the sand.

"I can see us fucking here," he said, nudging my side.

"Oh my God, seriously?" I laughed. "Yeah, we'll see."

"I'm fairly determined for this to happen, Sookie."

"Clearly," I said although I felt a little weird about the possibility of one of my parents catching us. That was a story that would get told for years and years, and if Eric and I ever had kids? Ugh, I didn't even want to think about it.

"And you know that if you really don't want to do it, we won't, right?"

"Yes, I know. Look, I can understand you wanting to exact some sort of revenge on my behalf where Alcide is concerned, but just don't make that the whole point of this trip, okay?"

"I won't," he said. "This is about you and me spending the weekend with your parents, eating 'smores, and sleeping on a kickass air mattress in a tent outside. I promise not to start anything that he doesn't deserve."

"I can live with that."

"And I'm really looking forward to the quiet sex," he grinned. "I'm always up for a challenge."

"Honey, you're pretty much just always up."

He grinned. "That's what she said."

"Dork," I muttered and headed for the water. "Ooookay, maybe no swimming. That water is a little on the chilly side."

"What about the bikini?" he pouted.

"If I'm not going to swim there isn't much point," I shrugged.

Totally messing with him.

"But there's sun, and you love to tan," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but I can do that in a pair of shorts and a tank top."

"Dammit," he muttered.

"Besides, less chance of your arch nemesis staring at my ass all day if I have more clothes on," I pointed out, but that didn't seem to help.

"He's not my arch nemesis."

"Okay, then what would you call him?"

"He's more like the annoying fly buzzing around your ear when you're trying to sleep."

I threw my head back and laughed. That was actually pretty close to perfect.

"Wanna head back?" I asked when I stopped laughing.

"Sure," he smiled and took my hand.

**oOoOoOo**

I stepped out of the tent with a fresh pair of jeans and a pullover on. I carried the grocery bag that contained the makings for 'smores in one hand and stopped at the cooler to grab a fresh beer with the other. Eric was sitting by my mother, chatting with her about one thing or another when I dropped the bag in his lap.

"Is it time?" he asked, looking up at me with eyes full of hope.

"Time for what?" Mom looked up at me curiously.

"Eric's been hounding me for 'smores ever since I mentioned camping a few months ago," I explained and Mom nodded. "Go for it, Eric."

"Yes!" he said, and even pumped his fist. He started pulling the stuff out of the bag and prepared his marshmallow for toasting.

I twisted the cap off my longneck and took the open seat next to Dad. I looked across the fire to where Alcide was sitting with his wife. Maria Starr was a pretty girl, and pretty much my complete opposite. I was guessing before the baby she was stick thin with next to no curves, dark hair and dark eyes. She was also pale enough that I wondered if she ever went out in the sunlight. She had Landon in her arms and he was sound asleep, at the moment.

"Your kids will be cuter," Dad leaned over to tell me that.

"You're biased," I snickered.

"You know you didn't lose out on nothing by moving on from that fool, right?" Dad reminded me.

"I know," I smiled at him and he leaned over to kiss my forehead.

"Are those marshmallows?" Dad's face lit up and then he launched himself in Eric's direction.

Oh Jesus fucking Christ. Was I dating my father?

I got sidetracked watching the current two most important men in my life make fools of themselves while they toasted marshmallows, so I didn't see it coming when Alcide walked around the back of my chair and trailed a finger across the back of my neck. What the fuck was it with him touching me all of a sudden? Did the dude forget he was married? If I didn't remind him, Eric most certainly would.

I got up and followed Alcide to the cooler where he was retrieving a beer for himself and a bottle of water, probably for his wife. I slammed the lid of the cooler down with my foot and his hand was nearly crunched in it.

"What the fuck, Alcide?" I demanded, but tried to keep my voice down.

"What's your problem?" he asked in that faux innocent tone we both knew was bullshit.

"You! Quit touching me. You're married and I'm with Eric, and in case you don't remember this, we're _not _friends. I don't even know what you're doing here, and I don't care. Just stay the fuck away from me," I said in a firm tone, but apparently I was louder than I thought since Eric was closing in quick with a pissed off look on his face.

"What's going on over here?" Eric asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I was just reminding Alcide that when it comes to me there's a strict hands off policy in place for him," I stared right at Alcide, hoping he would get the hint that I was serious.

"He needed reminding?" Eric asked me, then looked at Alcide. "Your _wife_ is sitting right over there with your son, man. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"She's overreacting. I was walking by and I brushed against her, no big deal," Alcide said with a shrug.

I scoffed at that. If Alcide and I were still together and some other dude was doing what he was doing, the shit would hit the fan pronto.

"Then make sure you don't happen to brush against her again," Eric said, his voice lowering slightly.

Alcide looked like he wanted to say something else, but wisely took his bottles and went back to his wife and son. What a clown. I couldn't believe I ever wanted to marry that guy.

"What did I ever see in him?" I shook my head, watching Alcide walk away and lean down to kiss his wife when he handed over the water.

"It's okay, you were young and naive."

"The first time, yeah, but the second time?" I trailed off for a few seconds. "He's not the same guy I knew, that's for sure."

"You live and you learn, and then you find a guy who raises the bar," he smiled.

"If you're lucky," I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Did you get a 'smore before Alcide screwed things up?"

"Yes, but I could eat like ten of those things."

"Then you better get over there before Dad eats them all," I jutted my chin over to where Dad was crouched down with what looked like three marshmallows on his stick for toasting.

"Shit," he muttered, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and almost ran back over to the fire.

Dad and Eric went to town on the 'smores until there was nothing left. Thankfully I had another bag stowed away for another time. I got a little tipsy and lost count of the number of beers I drank, and by the time Eric was ready to go to bed he had to pull me out of my chair. We stumbled back to our tent and while Eric zipped up all the flaps, I fell face first onto the air mattress that still needed to be dressed accordingly since the sleeping bags and sheets were piled up on the ground.

"Is it just me, or is this tent spinning?" I giggled quietly.

"It's just you, drunky," Eric laughed. "Now move so I can make the bed."

"But it's comfy here," I said with closed eyes.

"And you'll be way more comfy once the bed is made. You have to get changed anyway."

"Ugh, fine. You win with all your logic," I rolled off the air mattress and landed on the ground with a thud. "Ouch."

"That's not how you get off a bed," he chuckled and helped me up.

"It's all Budweiser's fault. Tequila makes me sexy. Beer makes me sloppy," I explained and started to pull off my clothes, forgetting to kick off my gym shoes first so I nearly took out a wall of the tent when I tried to take my jeans off.

"Clearly. Could you not hurt yourself until I get this bed made, please?"

I blew a raspberry at him and fought to untie my shoes. I managed to get myself undressed, and then there was the fun of searching through my bag, in the dark, to find my pajamas. Sleeping naked had never held more appeal for me.

"Aren't you done yet?" I whined while I pulled on an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Yes, climb in," he said. "I'm gonna get changed and I'll climb in with you."

I somehow managed to scrape together enough coordination to get myself into bed, but the second I did the rocking did terrible things to my stomach. I hiccupped and rolled onto my side with a giggle. Eric was half undressed and I wolf whistled at him.

"Oh no, we are not having drunk sex," he said.

"Why not? I thought you wanted Alcide to know how amazing you are in bed," I reminded him.

"Because your parents would hear too. And I'm not drunk. Drunk sex is only fun if both parties are drunk."

"I'm not drunk," I said and Eric scoffed. "I'm not! I'm just a little buzzed."

"Okay. You believe what you want."

"Fine," I rolled over so I was facing the other way and closed my eyes. Maybe that would stop the tent from spinning.

"You can molest me in the morning though," he said, and I felt him climb under the covers.

"I'll be hungover in the morning," I grumbled.

"Then I'll molest you when you're not hungover anymore."

"Fine," I pouted. "Night Eric."

"Sookie?" he said, and his hand came around and brushed across my boob.

"What?"

"Can you stay quiet?"

"Quiet for what?"

"While I'm fucking you."

"I thought it wouldn't be any fun if I'm drunk and you're not," I said bitterly.

"Oh it'll still be fun. I was just worried you were gonna yell at me in the morning for letting you have sex since you're a little less inhibited when you're drunk."

I managed to get myself turned around so we were face to face and asked, "Why would I be mad at you? I might be drunk but it's not like you're some strange guy off the street."

"Because you'll probably be loud, and then you'll get embarrassed."

"I can be quiet," I huffed.

"Good, then be quiet," he said, and then he kissed me as his hands went into my sweatpants.

"I shouldn't have bothered putting pajamas on," I wiggled a little to get my pants off.

"No you shouldn't have," he smiled.

"I could have stayed right where I was, in the clothes I was wearing and I would still end up naked. So much time wasted and for what?" I was rambling and Eric, thankfully, had the good sense to cover my mouth.

"Quiet, woman."

I nodded my head and Eric moved his hand away. He tugged on the hem of my t-shirt and I sat up a little so he could pull it off entirely. His eyes blazed a little when he realized I wasn't wearing a bra.

"I miss sleeping naked already," I said a little too loudly for his taste.

"Sookie," he scolded. "If you want to get laid, you have to be quiet."

"I am being quiet!" I hissed at him.

"You're adorable," he smiled.

"And you're taking too long," I pulled his shirt off.

"You want a quickie?"

"I want you naked. Tick tock, Northman."

"Yes ma'am," he said, and ten seconds later he was naked and had rolled on top of me.

"This bed makes noise every time we move," I said, again forgetting to whisper.

"We'll just have to move very slowly then."

To keep me from doing anymore talking Eric covered my mouth with his. When he broke away so we could breathe his mouth moved to my neck and paused at my ear to whisper to me.

"If you can't stay quiet I'll have to turn you over and cover your head with a pillow while I fuck you, and I would much rather watch the way your beautiful face changes when you come," he said and tugged on my earlobe with his teeth.

I wanted to moan, but I didn't. I nodded to let him know I'd heard what he said, and from that point on it was like a dirty version of the quiet game with each of us touching the other in ways to see who could break the silence first. I nearly lost when his fingers entered me, pumping in and out at a slow, steady pace while his thumb worked my clit and his mouth was firmly attached to one of my nipples. My hips rose to ride his fingers and when I was close, he pulled his fingers out and shifted us so he was spooned up behind me.

Eric put his fingers in my mouth, allowing me to taste myself while he lifted my leg and entered me from behind with a single, firm stroke. I moaned around his fingers, and he started to thrust into me slowly. He reminded me to be quiet as the pace picked up, and when he took his fingers back so he could rub my clit, I voluntarily covered my face with a pillow. I stayed as quiet as I could, and when I came I released my moans into the pillow.

Eric grunted behind me a time or two, but managed to stayed mostly silent when he came. My muscles squeezed and milked him of everything he had before he pulled out of me and rolled onto his back. I giggled quietly and released the pillow.

"When you fuck me on the beach, I want to be on top so you can finger my ass at the same time," I whispered in his ear when I rolled over.

He groaned and said, "Keep talking like that and we won't make it to the beach."

I climbed on top of him and said, "I wonder if Alcide knows that your come is dripping out of me right now, or if you fuck me better than he ever did."

Eric growled and pulled my mouth to his. My hips rocked against him and in no time, he was hard again. It was all good until Landon's cries interrupted the relative silence of the night.

I sat up on Eric's waist and said, "You know, our kids will be so much cuter."

Eric smiled up at me, but that was only because I wasn't finished. My drunk brain filter was completely busted.

"When are we going to have kids?" I asked and before Eric could answer me, my eyes opened wide and I said, "Ohmygod! I could be pregnant right now! What if you just knocked me up?"

I found it hilarious and fell over laughing. Eric, on the other hand, didn't seem to share my humor.

"Very funny, Sookie."

"I could be! You don't know!" I kept on giggling. "What if your babies are too big for my vag?"

The look he gave me was a cross between horrified and constipated. "Maybe we should talk about using condoms again."

"Fine by me, but since we don't have any I guess that means no beach sex for you. No bikini and no beach sex," I gave him my best squinty eyes.

"You wouldn't."

"You're the one who wants to use condoms again!" I said a little too loudly.

"Shhh! I don't _want_ to, but I'm not ready to be a dad yet."

"Then that's why we cancel the beach sex," I said with wide eyes to emphasize my point.

"I'm sure if I sleep on it I'll feel differently," he said, suddenly hit with the realization that we'd have to go the rest of the weekend with no sex at all.

"Did I ruin the mood, or do you want to finish this?" I asked, reaching over to touch him inappropriately. Or appropriately, depending on what his answer was.

He studied me carefully for a moment, and when I gave him a gentle squeeze, he groaned and said, "I want to finish this. But no more talk about knocking you up."

"Then keep me quiet," I challenged him, and he rolled on top of me again.

"Yes ma'am," he grinned, then kissed me.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh drunken Sookie... she's a trip, ain't she? Fucking Alcide. Dude is just... ugh, he's so gross. We'll be seeing more of him next chapter, so prepare yourself for that. But yeah, drunken Sookie... I'm a fan of hers. There needs to be an outtake of these two drunk together. I'm also trying to convince Scribe to write an outtake from Eric's POV with Hell Week sex since there seems to be a demand for it but so far she's resisting. I'll figure out a way to get her to do it, though. I'm very convincing when I want to be. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	31. Change in Latitude, Change in Attitude

**Just a warning that this is NOT SAFE FOR WORK in some places, so keep that in mind while reading. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 31: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes<span>

"_If it suddenly ended tomorrow, I could somehow adjust to the fall. Good times and riches and son of a bitches, I've seen more than I can recall. These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same." –Jimmy Buffett_

The next morning I woke up feeling like there was an elephant doing the samba in my skull. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head. I didn't even want to move. I couldn't remember being that hungover in a while, and I made a resolution with myself to never drink beer again. It always made me goofy and feel like shit the next day.

I stretched an arm out to discover that I was alone in bed, and wondered just how late I'd slept. I heard the usual outdoor noises, but no voices. Maybe if I got lucky Eric and I would suddenly discover we had a telepathic link that would alert him to the fact that I was not only awake, but desperately needed water. I didn't get my hopes up, though.

I groaned and eventually rolled over, only to find out I was naked. Shit. I thought back to the night before and tried to remember what I'd done. I vaguely recalled letting Alcide have it after he touched me again, and with his wife sitting _right there_. I remembered singing off key when Jackson brought out his guitar, and I remembered Eric dragging me off to bed when I started stumbling around and nearly fell in the fire. Twice.

But did I go to bed naked? That didn't seem right. The tent unzipped and I cracked one eye open to see the best boyfriend in the world coming toward me with a bottle of water in one hand, and what I hoped was aspirin in the other.

"Did we have sex last night?" I asked as he came toward me.

"Twice," he smiled. "How's your head?"

"I never want to drink again," I whimpered and rolled onto my side, burying my head under my arms to keep the evil sunlight away.

"If it helps, we done good last night," he said as he sat down next to me.

I peeked up at him and asked, "How many dirty looks did you get from Alcide this morning?"

That had to be the reason he was gloating.

"More than a few," he grinned. "I think he knows I raised the bar."

"And what about my parents?" I asked nervously. Chances are if Alcide heard, so did they.

"They weren't acting awkward. Maybe they sleep like rocks. Or... it's possible we weren't that loud, and the creeper was creeping outside our tent."

I glared at him for that. I really didn't want to think about Alcide standing outside our tent listening to us having sex. That was just too creepy.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, deciding it was better to glaze over his comment.

I finally forced myself to sit up and Eric handed me the bottle of water and kissed my forehead. Such a sweetheart he was, considering what a pain in the ass I was sure I had been the night before.

"Outside, minus the baby, who is sleeping."

"They're being awfully quiet," I said and chugged some of the water before taking two of the aspirin that Eric offered me, and chugged those down as well. "I'm surprised Mom hasn't dragged Dad to go antiquing at some of the Amish stores around here."

"Oh they were about to do something. She was nagging him to get some shoes on."

"That sounds about right," I finished off my water and lay back. "What time is it?"

"About eleven," he said.

"Ugh," I groaned and rolled over again. "Can we just skip today and go straight to tomorrow?"

"Nope. That's what you get for drinking so much."

"I don't even want to move," I whined, but Eric gently pulled me up into a sitting position.

"If you don't, it'll look like you're hiding from Alcide. Besides we have to get you better so you and I can have beach sex tonight. You made me promise to do some things last night," he grinned.

"I did?" I closed my eyes. "God, what did I do?"

"You said that when we have beach sex you want to be on top so I can finger your ass at the same time. You said a lot of things. A _lot._"

I cringed and I know I turned bright red. "I really said that?"

"You said that," he nodded. "While we were having sex, actually."

"Oh Jesus," I shrunk back as much as I could, but Eric wasn't having any of that.

I seriously had to rethink that best boyfriend ever title I'd given him.

"You also said something about wondering if my babies would be too big for your 'vag.'"

"What?" My eyes popped open. "What the hell were we even doing talking about babies?"

"You brought it up," he laughed. "Landon started crying, and you said that our babies will be cuter, and then you asked when we'd have one, and then you took it even further by saying that I could have just knocked you up. It was after we had finished, obviously."

"And you didn't break up with me?" I leaned forward and rested my forehead on his chest. "God, I'm such a mess."

"No, you're just an interesting drunk," he said.

"Lucky for you, drinking seems to also make me horny," I grumbled and then my stomach made a noise to let me know that food was a necessity I had been avoiding.

"We did do it twice, and you managed to keep as quiet as you could. Hungry?"

"And mortified," I refused to look up at him and he laughed quietly. "It's not funny! I made an ass out of myself!"

"I still love you, sweetheart."

"I'm waiting until my parents depart for wherever they're going before I leave this tent. I can't even look _you_ in the eye. If one of them looks at me I'll burst into flames," I said dramatically, and mentally kicked myself for drinking all the water. And beer.

Never. Again.

"Hey, did you happen to notice that if you lay on the air mattress for an extended period of time it starts to feel like you're floating?" I asked Eric, finally cheating a glance at him.

"I think that's the alcohol, sweetie."

"Then I must still be drunk," I said and then started laughing.

"Or maybe I can't feel it because I'm huge."

"Maybe," I acknowledged and then started looking around for my clothes.

"Going somewhere?"

"No, I just need to be less naked," I said and then took a chance by climbing off the air mattress to get my t-shirt.

"If you succeed in getting dressed, I'll take you somewhere to get you greasy food."

"Have I ever told you I love you?" I knocked him over with a hug.

"Occasionally," he laughed, wrapping his arms around me.

"Greasy food sounds fucking amazing right now. You get me greasy food, and you get me in a bikini from the time we get back until dinner," I promised him.

"Sounds like a plan to me. You get dressed so we can go and get to this plan sooner."

I forced myself up off the bed, battling the ache in my head that was starting to calm its tits. I pulled on underwear, a bra, a tiny pair of shorts that made Eric groan behind me and then a tank top. I piled my hair on top of my head and loosely secured it before looking for my sandals and sunglasses. No way was I taking a single step out of the tent without something covering my eyes.

"Food, Jeeves," I said once I was ready to go.

"Yes ma'am," Eric said, and took my hand.

We left the tent together and I intentionally ignored Alcide. If my parents heard anything the night before they were either too polite, or too embarrassed to mention it. It turned out they were on their way to check out the local shops, much to Dad's dismay. Eric and I headed for the Jeep and loaded Sully into the back. He had opted to spend the night in Mom and Dad's tent. Alcide was avoiding him like the plague, thanks to his allergies, and it was then that I realized if I wanted to keep my ex from flirting with me, it would be a great time to cuddle the hell out of my dog and I told Eric as much.

"Ha! You should, and I should find a way to bring Sully with me whenever I have to be near him."

"If we're lucky his wife will get sick of being here and they'll leave early," I said as Eric backed the Jeep away from the campsite.

"We can only hope."

We found the diner I had gone to with my parents on several occasions on previous trips. The food was as delicious and greasy as ever, perfect for after a night of drinking. We stopped at general store down the street so I could pick up a trashy romance novel to read on the beach, which Eric snickered at, until I asked him if he wanted to get condoms while we were there.

"What?" he asked, his eyes going wide.

"Weren't you saying something last night about condoms?" My memory was fuzzy, at best, but I know I heard him say something about using condoms again.

"Uh... yeah. You freaked me out a bit when you said you could be knocked up."

"I was drunk, Eric," I snickered. I didn't want to think about the fact that even though I _was _on birth control, it was still a possibility, but that's the risk you take with sex. No matter how careful you are, pregnancy can still happen.

"I know that now, which is why I don't think we should pick any up."

I looked into his eyes, searching them for something but I wasn't sure what I was looking for. When Eric looked like he was going to question me I turned and headed for the cashier at the front of the store to pay for my book and spare bottle of sunblock. Of course Eric wasn't the sort to let something go when it began to nag at him, so the second we were in the car he was turning the music down so he could ask what was bothering me.

"Nothing," I smiled at him. Yeah, he didn't buy it.

"Not nothing, Sookie."

"Honest to God, I don't know. There's something in my head but I don't know what it is yet. When I do, I promise you'll be the first to know."

That was the best I could offer him.

"Alright," he said, but I could tell he didn't like it. There was nothing I could do about it though.

When we got back to the campsite my parents' car was gone, and when I called out there was no one there. Sully was relieved to have room to roam again, and I went to the tent to put on my bikini, as I had promised Eric I would. My head was feeling much better, and I was anxious to get down to the beach. Maybe a little time stretched out in the sunshine would do me good.

"Do you want to go down to the beach?" I asked Eric when I emerged from the tent, clad only in a bikini and the same pair of tiny denim shorts I had worn to breakfast.

"Yes," he said immediately.

"Sweet," I said and called Sully over so I could put him on a leash.

It was fine to let him move around without one up by the campsite and he was supervised, but he would need one while we were gone. I got Sully secure while Eric went to change clothes. When he came out of the tent I grabbed my beach bag and a couple of bottles of water from the cooler to take with us.

"Are you going to swim?" I asked him while we walked.

"I don't know. I didn't feel how cold the water was."

"It's probably not bad once you get used to it," I shrugged and a few moments later we were walking down the steps to the beach. "Will you lotion my back for me?" I asked over my shoulder.

It briefly occurred to me that this was how bad porn sometimes started, but I kept that to myself.

"Sure," he said. "You have to get mine for me too. But no molesting."

"No molesting?" I lifted an eyebrow and then kicked off my sandals at the bottom of the stairs. Eric nearly walked into me when I bent to pick them up.

"Okay, only a little."

"So where did you determine was the perfect spot for beach sex?" I asked once I had my sandals in-hand.

"Obviously somewhere we won't be seen. We will have to observe."

"Oh. I thought you picked out a place already," I smirked and we ended up taking a spot on a slight dune a little farther away from the water and the teenage crowd that had gathered.

Eric pulled out the lotion, and squeezed some into his hand, the motioned for me to turn my back to him. As he began to rub the lotion into my skin, he said, "Where's the bow chicka wow wow music?"

I giggled and said, "I don't know, but I think you have a fan club forming over there." I jutted my chin toward a pack of teenage girls who were staring at Eric like lunch had just been served.

"It's really too bad they're too young," he joked.

"Oh really?" I smirked over my shoulder.

"Yeah, or I'd be all over that."

"Huh," I said and unbuttoned my shorts, and then shimmied out of them. "And the second you were otherwise engaged the frat house over there would be swarming me. That one with the red hair is kind of cute. We could have cute little Weasley babies together."

"The hell if you will," he said, pulling me against him.

"Awww but they'd be so cute with their ginger hair and freckly faces," I teased.

"I'd rather have beautiful little blonde babies, thank you."

"You still could. I'm sure _one_ of those girls over there is a natural blonde."

"You're the only natural blonde I want."

"I better be," I turned around and kissed him hard.

"But if you could find me a natural redhead..." he teased.

"You can have ten minutes alone with her if I get ten minutes alone with Leonardo DiCaprio," I snickered. "Or Ryan Gosling. I won't be picky."

"Deal."

He was so full of shit, but there was no point in arguing about it since that situation was never going to occur. Eric pulled his shirt off and I returned the favor he had done for me before spreading out my towel and getting out my iPod. I got comfy on the warm sand and put in my ear buds while I read my trashy new book. Eric stretched out next to me for a while, but as expected, he was restless rather quickly.

He tapped my shoulder and I took out my right ear bud.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm bored."

"So go for a swim," I rolled onto my side, ready to turn over.

"I'd rather do something more fun, with you."

"And what, exactly, did you have in mind?" I set my book aside.

"I don't know," he said. "Perhaps some making out?"

"Mmhmmm... and you propose we do that right here?" I took out my other ear bud.

"I do," he nodded.

"Okay, but no molesting," I shifted closer to him.

"Of course not, there are teenagers present," he smiled, then pulled me on top of him.

"Eric!" I grabbed for my towel. "I think you underestimate how teeny these bottoms are," I said as I pulled the towel over my backside. I didn't need to be flashing my lady business around the beach on accident, especially when Eric forgot where we were and got a case of grabby hands.

Of course since he had the cover for it, his hands went straight to my ass and groped me in appreciation. Before I could complain about it, he leaned up to kiss me and I forgot what I was going to complain about in the first place. It was going along just fine until my hips started rocking against him of their own accord, and that meant Eric was pitching a tent in his trunks. That is, until we were interrupted.

"There you are! I hope you don't mind if we join you," Alcide said from behind me.

I groaned and Eric growled.

"Why didn't we bring Sully?" Eric whispered to me.

"Poor judgment on our part," I sighed, but didn't move to get off of him since that would have been even more awkward than if I stayed where I was. "We could just pack up and head back to camp."

"You promised I'd get to see the bikini all day."

"Did I say anything about taking it off?"

He had to decide, and quickly, before Alcide got the impression we were going to stick around.

"Hey Alcide," Eric said, waving at him. "We were just about to leave actually. Supposed to meet Sookie's parents in a few."

"Oh well. More room for us then," Alcide said and started to unfold the captain's chairs they'd brought along. "That color looks good on you, Sookie."

My eyes darting over to Maria Starr who appeared to be too busy nursing her baby to notice her husband staring at me in a way he wasn't supposed to be staring at me anymore.

Eric smiled at Alcide then turned to me and said, "Yes Sookie, I love it when you wear red for me."

I slipped out from underneath the towel that was draped over me, not that it did much good to conceal anything. I reached for my shorts and pulled them back on. I looked again at Maria Starr and wondered if she really was as clueless as she appeared to be. Sure a baby takes up a lot of time and focus, but damn. Alcide wasn't even _trying_ to hide anything.

"I always thought red made her look cheap," Alcide shrugged and my jaw dropped. Didn't he _just_ say that he liked the color on me? What a jerk!

Out of nowhere Maria Starr came out of her trance and slapped her husband upside his head.

"Excuse me?" Eric practically growled at him.

"That's just my opinion," Alcide said and thankfully Maria handed him the baby so Eric wouldn't knock him into the middle of next year.

"Forgive him, Sookie, he's sleep deprived," Maria Starr stared daggers at him.

"No, he's being an asshole," I said pointedly. I didn't have to make excuses for his bullshit anymore. "But I'm sure Jackson will _love _to hear you think I look cheap since, you know, that's the way your parents raised you."

I stood up and reached down for Eric's hand, hoping that if he was holding onto me he wouldn't take a swing at Alcide if given the chance.

"Please excuse us, Maria," Eric said nicely to her. "We'll see you guys later."

I gathered up our stuff quickly and we walked back to camp together. I was furious.

"That son of a bitch. Seriously, what the fuck did I ever see in him?" I threw everything back into our tent, not caring if something ended up broken.

"I don't know, but I've never wanted to hit someone so much in my life. If Maria hadn't been smart enough to hand him the baby..."

"Do you think I look cheap in red?" I asked and Eric looked mildly offended that I did.

"No, you look fucking sexy in red. The only people who look cheap in red are hookers, and the red they wear is usually bright, too small, and accompanied by fishnets and bad makeup."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline. "Spent time with hookers lately? The only reason I asked if I looked cheap is because your opinion is the only one that matters. Alcide can fuck off and die, for all I care."

"I have never had to pay for sex," he scoffed. "I learned that from late night HBO. And yes, Alcide can fuck off and die."

"So what do we do now?" I asked and sat on top of one of the picnic tables. For the time being, we had the campsite all to ourselves.

"Nap?"

"Works for me," I said and headed toward the tent.

"What is planned for tonight?"

"Pretty much a repeat of last night, minus the beer for me," I said as I shimmied out of my shorts again.

"Shit, we should have gotten more 'smores stuff," he pouted.

"Look in the outer pocket of my duffle bag," I said as I climbed onto the air mattress and stretched out. I still felt like I was floating when I laid on it.

He did as I said, and then turned and grinned at me. "You sneaky minx."

"I know how you are," I rested my head against my pillow and closed my eyes. "When you find something you like, you get almost obsessive about it."

"Why are you actually closing your eyes?" he asked as he climbed onto the bed next to me. "And I don't get obsessive."

"You said a nap, didn't you? And you don't get obsessive if I don't get PMS," I smirked.

"Funny," he snorted, then curled himself around me. "I did say nap, but we're all alone. Why not take advantage?"

"I thought you wanted my bikini on all day?" I twisted my head as far back as I could to look at him.

"You yourself said it's tiny. We could do it with the bikini on."

"See? Obsessive," I laughed and squirmed when he tickled me.

"If you need to recharge, we can wait to do it until tonight. I want to see if you can stay quieter while sober."

"Two words," I rolled over to face him. "Kitchen. Sex."

"Oh God," he groaned at the memory. "That has to be in our top three."

"You've rated the sex we've had?" I found this incredibly amusing.

"Everyone does that."

"I've never done that. What made your list?" I propped my head up on my hand.

"Kitchen sex is in the top three. Hitachi sex is up top too... Hmm... There are too many good times to choose from."

"I can't believe you rank it," I shook my head. "What was the worst? And don't say there isn't one."

"Sookie, every time we've had sex is on the good list. There is no bad sex there."

"I don't know... that movie theater night wasn't so great," I recalled.

"That wasn't sex, I got you off."

"Well yeah, you did, but... never mind. We should just pretend like that whole night never happened."

"No, we shouldn't. We learned from it."

"Yes we did. We learned that I can be a real basketcase without any warning whatsoever," I laughed.

"You're a woman, you're allowed. I mean, I'm not saying that night wasn't frustrating, but I learned you're not comfortable with exhibition."

"I think that's changed a little since then, don't you?"

"Yes it has," he smiled.

"And on that note, I think I found a perfect spot for beach sex," I smiled back at him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. Did you see the taller dune about ten yards down the beach from where we were sitting? We could hide behind the other side of it," I suggested.

"You're awesome," he smiled broadly, and ran his fingers up and down my arm.

I let my head drop and my eyes close. The crunch of tires on twigs and gravel outside killed whatever chance there was of Eric getting an afternoon quickie.

"Nap now?" I asked without opening my eyes.

"Yeah," he said with a yawn. "Love you."

"Love you too," I snuggled into him a little and let myself drift off.

**oOoOoOo**

"Sully!" I called out, and listened for the dog. He'd run off chasing a squirrel a little while ago and it was starting to get dark. "Sully!"

"Sook?" Alcide said from behind me and I slumped.

Fuck. Where was Eric when I needed him?

"What'cha need, Alcide?" I asked him and when I turned around I instantly regretted asking him that.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said on the beach earlier," he took a step closer. "I was just... I've been thinking about you a lot since we ran into each other that day at the store, and I even went by your condo once but Eric's car was parked in your driveway. I gotta tell you, I didn't think you two would still be together."

Of course he didn't.

"Not that it's any of your business, but he wants to marry me. He's been good to me, Alcide. He loves me. And you're married, so who I'm with shouldn't matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find my dog," I started to step around him, but he grabbed my arm.

"I would do it all differently if I could," he said quietly in a pained tone.

"Yeah, well, you can't. You had your chance. You blew it. Twice." I jerked my arm away. "Go back to your wife, Alcide. We're done here."

I tried to get away from him, really I did, but the next thing I knew his lips were on mine and I was shoving him off of me. I was too shocked to say anything, but then I didn't have to. A fist came flying out of nowhere, and Alcide was on the ground.

"You stupid asshole," Eric spat at him. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Eric," I pulled him back when he went for punch number two.

"I'm sorry," he immediately said to me, then turned back to Alcide. "I think it would be best if you took off in the morning."

Alcide was smart enough to stay on the ground, and it looked like maybe Eric had knocked a little sense into him after all.

"Come on, Eric, let's go back to camp," I took his hand, which was still shaking, and kissed his knuckles as we walked away. "How much of that did you see?"

"I found Sully and put him in our tent, and then I came to find you just in time to see Alcide grab your arm and kiss you."

"Ugh. I'm sorry," I said although I had no idea why I was apologizing. It wasn't like I wanted Alcide to kiss me.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked. "You shoved him off."

"I know," I looked down at the ground as we walked. "I just... I don't know. God, this is so fucked up. He told me he came by the condo once but your car was outside so he didn't try to see me."

Eric stopped walking, and tensed up like he was fighting the urge to go back and kick Alcide's ass some more. "He fucking tried to go see you?"

"He said that ever since we ran into each other that day I came home all fucked up in the head, he's been thinking about me, whatever the hell that means. I told him there's no chance in hell he and I are ever getting back together. I'm with you, and it's going to stay that way," I assured Eric and hoped any insecurity he had didn't get the better of him.

"There was never any question in my mind, Sookie."

"Good," I said with relief. "Do you want to go back to camp, or do you want to keep walking?"

"Let's keep walking for a while. I'm likely to punch him if I see his stupid face again."

"Okay. Let's stop by the tent real quick, though. I need a sweater," I wrapped an arm around his waist.

I got my sweater and we kept walking. It was no surprise to me at all when we ended up on the beach. It was even less of a surprise when we walked toward the taller dune I had mentioned.

"I could just kick him in the balls," Eric blurted out. "And that's a no-go thing for guys."

"I don't really want to think about Alcide's balls right now," I said and pulled Eric behind the dune.

"Good," he said, pulling me against him. "I'd rather you think about mine."

I snorted at that. Frankly, I didn't want to think about anyone's balls.

"Kiss me," he said.

I planted a row of kisses up his neck, along his jaw and finally arrived at his mouth. I kissed the corners of his lips and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I should have grabbed a blanket out of the tent," I kissed him softly.

"Shit," he swore. "We can't fuck out here without something to lie on; you'll get sand in your happy place."

I burst out laughing and pressed my forehead to his chest. Once again, Eric didn't seem to be quite so amused.

"You know, that's easily fixed, right? I can just run back and get a blanket," I offered.

"If you leave me alone right now I'll go find Alcide and beat his ugly face in."

"No you won't," I pulled his face to mine and kissed him a little rougher than before. "Should I go get a blanket or not?"

"Go get it," he grinned.

"I'll be right back," I promised and kissed him once more before I took off running for the campsite.

Alcide was sitting in his chair with an icepack pressed to his nose, and I wondered if maybe Eric had broken it. I'd seen blood, but it didn't seem that bad at the time. No one questioned me as I went to the back of the Jeep to grab a spare blanket from the trunk. I had no idea what Alcide had said by way of explanation for how he'd ended up bleeding from his face like that, but it wasn't really my problem. Hopefully he'd learned his lesson and wouldn't try that shit again.

I was back at the beach within five minutes, and Eric was sitting in the sand, watching the waves break in the distance. I unfolded the blanket and spread it out on the sand.

"I think you broke Alcide's nose," I said while kicking off my sandals and pulling off my sweatshirt.

"Good," he said, and stood to shake the sand off of him and kick his shoes off before getting on the blanket.

"It was so weird. No one said a word but they all saw me come up."

"You know they probably all know what really happened, but he didn't tell them the truth."

"Who knows?" I shrugged and unbuttoned my jeans. Before I could pulled them off, Eric grabbed my hand and tugged me down onto the blanket with him. "A skirt would be much better for this."

"Yes it would," he agreed. "Do you still want to be on top so I can finger your ass while we do it?"

"Oh my God just shut up and kiss me," I said as my cheeks flamed.

I was never going to live that down, I just knew it.

"As you wish," he grinned, and kissed me like I asked.

We didn't take off all of our clothes in case someone happened to come down to the beach and spot us. It would be easier to claim we had just gotten caught up in the moment that way. Eric's hand found its way into my jeans, and then my panties. The extended make out session and the promise of an orgasm had me wet and ready for his fingers that seemed anxious to slide into me. His palm rubbed against my clit and even though we continued kissing it was hard for me to keep quiet.

Sex at home in his bed was much better. I could be as loud as I wanted there, and Eric gave me plenty to be loud about.

"Eric, please, I want you to fuck me," I whispered against his lips after I came.

He growled and removed his fingers before turning me over onto my stomach. He tugged my jeans down roughly and I heard the fly of his jeans go down as well. Without a word, he covered my mouth and thrust into me hard from behind. I groaned against his hand and I felt his breath at my ear.

"You're so fucking wet for me, sweetheart," he said as he began to pound into me. "Knowing that your sweet little pussy will be dripping with my come when we get back to camp makes me want to fuck you until you pass out."

"Oh God," I whimpered, liking the sound of it, but knowing it wouldn't happen. I could only imagine the reaction he would get from my parents if he carried me back to camp looking like a hot mess from being fucked into unconsciousness.

My mobility was limited thanks to the awkward positioning of my jeans and Eric's weight pressed against my back, but it was probably for the best. He kept his hand over my mouth to stifle the noise I was making, and braced himself on that elbow. His other hand moved around my body to rub my clit, and that combined with the rough way he was fucking me from behind had me coming in no time.

"That's it, sweetheart, come all over my cock," he groaned in my ear, and a few thrusts later, he was coming inside me.

I felt the hot, sticky release being left deep inside me and I quivered at the thought of walking back to camp with my ruined panties on while Alcide was tending his busted nose. Served the asshole right, in my opinion.

We stayed on the beach for a while before Eric finally rolled off of me. He moved to tuck himself away but I pushed him onto his back. He gave me a questioning look, probably thinking I wanted to go another round with him, but instead I lowered my head and took his cock in my mouth. He groaned and it was my turn to cover his mouth. I think the looming threat of being caught must have been a big turn-on for him, because it didn't take long for him to finish. I swallowed everything he gave me, made sure he was clean and then tucked him back into his jeans.

"Alcide is a fucking idiot," Eric said when I turned to face him.

"His loss is your gain," I shrugged. I was done worrying about my jackhole of an ex-boyfriend.

"Yes it is," Eric pulled my face to his and kissed me.

* * *

><p><strong>So I'll say it again... FUCKING ALCIDE. What a tool. Oh, and last night Scribe and I got into an argument over chat in regards to the Hell Week outtake some of our lovely readers have been begging for. It took a trade in order for it me to make it happen, but I found the right thing and so now we will be getting that outtake. If you want to see the chat transcript it's posted to my fanfic tumblr makesmyheadspinfanfic(dot)tumblr(dot)com. I have all sorts of goodies there, including teasers so feel free to stop by and look around anytime. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	32. Thinking Over

Chapter 32: Thinking Over

"_I can feel that it's the season; it's time to make up my mind. And I can't really tell you what I'm gonna do. There are so many thoughts in my head. There are two roads to walk down and one road to choose so I'm thinking over the things that you've said." –Dana Glover_

The monthly meeting was in full swing, and I sat toward the back of the room tapping my pen against my notepad. The meetings were always about the company's finances and while it was good to have eyes on the bottom line in such a rock economy, I often felt like the meetings too way longer than they should. Then again, I was getting paid to sit there for just under two hours to listen to the C.E.O. and C.F.O. flap their gums. It was mindless 'work.'

Elle nudged my side and then nodded to the paper in front of her. She'd drawn a Tic-Tac-Toe board and put an X in the center square. I bit back my grin and reached over to put an O in the bottom left corner. We were on game number four when the C.E.O., Grant Foster, said something that got everyone's attention.

"It has been decided that in order to cut back on expenses, we're going to relocate the corporate offices to the east coast. At the moment we're in the process of leasing a space in Baltimore. This is obviously a case of location being much more convenient. Our facilities managers will be able to drive instead of flying, and the instances of overnight stays will be less frequent. Now, I'm sure all of you are wondering what this means for you. I am currently meeting with all of our vice presidents, who have been given a list of recommendations from our supervisors as to who should make the move along with us. A decision will be reached within the next week as to who will be making the transfer, and if you are selected, all of your moving expenses will be paid by the corporation," Grant said to a room of stunned employees.

My head was immediately swimming with possibilities, and what I was going to tell Eric. Assuming I was asked to make the move, I was going to have to choose between my job and my boyfriend. If I wasn't asked to move, I was going to have to find a new job in an economy where it was near impossible for anyone to find work unless you wanted to make a hair above minimum wage. This move, while logical, couldn't have come at a worse time.

The meeting was dismissed and I went with Elle out the back door to where the smoker's but hut was, and for the first time since I quit smoking when I was twenty-five, I had the urge to light up. Elle lit a cigarette and before I knew what I was doing I asked her for one.

"Are you sure you want to do that? You told me it was almost impossible for you to quit the first time," Elle held her pack of cigarettes away from me.

"I'll be fine," I said and she handed the pack over.

She held out her lighter for me and the second the smoke hit the back of my throat, I started coughing. What had I ever found appealing about this? I took another drag, but I was still disgusted by the taste of it. Now I was stressed out and I reeked of smoke and my mouth tasted like I'd just licked an ashtray. Gross.

I was about to throw what was left of my cigarette away, but Elle took it from me. "If you won't finish that, I will," she said and blew out a bluish/silver puff of smoke, aiming it away from my face.

"Sorry, it just doesn't have the same appeal it once did," I told her, and actually felt good about saying that. There had been a time in my earlier twenties when I couldn't imagine quitting.

"I recommended you come along," Elle said, not bothering to cushion the blow. "I'm sure I could find someone else and train her to be as awesome as you, but why risk it?"

"You can't train someone to be awesome," I smiled and she took another drag. "So you're going then?"

"Why not? It's not like the boy and I have kids, and his family is all in Sweden anyway. I'd be closer to my own family, which is a con, but I like my job. A change of scenery might be a good thing," Elle shrugged and exhaled.

"I have to talk to Eric about it," I hung my head and took a deep breath.

"You think he'll go for it?" she asked.

"I don't know," I sighed. "Honestly, I don't think so. He's got his house, the bar and his Mom is close by and I know he wouldn't want to leave her. I mean, she's not like old and decrepit, or anything, but they're close so I don't think he would want to leave."

"What about doing the long distance thing?"

I laughed and said, "Could you go more than two days without banging your boy?"

"Good point," Elle grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, but then her face got a little more serious. "So then you don't think you'd come along?"

"I don't know. I mean, I haven't been officially asked yet so I can't really give an answer. It's not worth it to get myself all flustered if they aren't even going to ask me to move."

Of course it was on my mind all day after that. I thought about calling or texting Eric, but decided I would wait until I saw him in person so we could talk about it face to face. I had been back from lunch for almost an hour when an email popped into my mailbox. It was an invite requesting I join Elle and the vice president of human resources for a meeting at three that afternoon. I took a deep breath and tried to decide which way I hoped the meeting went.

Finding a new job would suck, to some extent, but it would beat having to decide between work and Eric. It felt like it should have been a no brainer decision. I loved Eric and I wanted to be with him. We were talking about living together at some point, and beyond that we had talked about marriage and kids. He was it. He was _the_ guy.

So why was I considering moving half way across the country? I loved my job, but did I love Eric more? I was completely distracted and didn't even notice it when Elle slipped out of her office to head down to the HR VP's office on the other side of the building. My computer pinged me with a reminder fifteen minutes before the meeting was set to start. I dismissed the notice and headed to the ladies' room to pee before going onto Kelly's office.

I felt like I was walking to the gallows as I approached Kelly's office, and told myself to calm down. Whatever the outcome was, I could handle it. Eric and I would work things out; we always did. I knocked on the open office door and Kelly smiled at me from behind her desk.

"Oh, Sookie, close the door and take a seat," she smiled at me. There was nothing apprehensive about her smile, which made me certain of what she was about to say.

I took one last deep breath, stepped into the office and closed the door behind me.

**oOoOoOo**

"Eric, where are you?" I called out when I walked into his house. His car was outside so I knew he was home.

"In the living room," he hollered.

I found him sitting on the couch, flipping through TV channels, and I kicked off my shoes before sitting down next to him. Well, plopping down next to him was more like it.

"We need to talk," I said in a more dramatic tone than I had intended.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, turning the TV off.

I sighed heavily and turned to face him before I started talking.

"Okay, remember how a couple months back I told you there were rumors about my office moving to the east coast?" My fingers fidgeted nervously with the fabric of my skirt.

"Yeah, I remember."

"So today was our monthly meeting and just before it broke up, the C.E.O. drops the bomb that the office _is _moving... to Baltimore..." I bit my bottom lip and braced myself.

"Does that mean you're out of a job?" he asked, and put his hand on my leg.

"Not exactly..." I shifted a little. "They asked me to move to Baltimore."

"Oh. Are you... Are you going to?"

"That's what we need to talk about. I love my job. I love what I do, but I don't know if it's worth it if it means leaving you. So I guess... I guess what I need to know is how you would feel if I decided to go."

"I would feel... I don't know, I've never done a long distance relationship before. Selfishly, I want you to stay. But if you want to go, then we'll make it work. I'll fly out there as often as I can, and there's Skype."

"So we wouldn't break up?" I asked him nervously. That was my biggest fear. "I... if the distance is going to be a problem then... I don't want to lose you."

"I would never break up with you for something like this. I love you, and when you love someone you do whatever it takes. If that means doing this thing long distance, then that's what it means."

I felt a huge sense of relief, if only for a moment, and leaned over to hug him. He held onto me tightly, and I wondered if he was afraid I was going to tell him I was leaving him.

"Thank you," I whispered and squeezed him a little tighter.

"When do you have to decide by?"

"Friday," I snickered. Lots of warning they gave me. A whole three days.

"Three days? Jesus."

"Yeah, no kidding. If I decide to go, I have to be settled in Baltimore by September first. The office will open for business again just after Labor Day. They'll pay all of my relocation costs and I would also be making more money if I moved out there..."

"Sounds like a good move for you," he said, but didn't sound enthused at all. In fact, he held me a little tighter.

"It could be," I said but didn't sound very enthusiastic about it either.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him and said, "It could be fun to live somewhere else for a while and see what else is out there in the world, but then I think about all the things I would miss if I did that, and I'm not sure if it's worth it."

"You have to go with your gut. If it's telling you to go, then you go, but if you're sure it's telling you to stay, then stay," he said.

"I know what my gut is telling me. My gut says that I should stay here with you, that this is where I belong," I told him.

"Is that what you're going to do?" he asked, looking down at me.

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. Everything in me was screaming at me that where I was, right in that very moment, was exactly where I needed to be. Yes, Baltimore might be an interesting change of scenery, but what else did it offer me besides a job? My family and friends were all in Chicago, and so was Eric. I would be giving up literally _everything_ for a job that wasn't really a once in a lifetime thing. What I had with Eric? _That _was once in a lifetime.

And yeah, we could probably make it work long distance, but why should we? The more I thought about it, the more I realized I would be giving up more than I gained. It just wasn't worth it.

"If they had made me this offer last year, I would have taken it. But now I have you, and I just... I'm going to sound like a lovesick teenager, but I can't be away from you like that. Seeing each other every couple of weeks or on Skype just isn't good enough, not when I could be sitting with you like I am right now. I'm going to tell them I appreciate their offer, but no thanks. I want to be here with you," I smiled at him.

He let out a sigh of what I'm assuming to be relief, and then he kissed me. It was a very slow and sweet kiss, and when he pulled back he said, "Thank you."

"See? That kiss right there, that's the reason I couldn't go to Baltimore. I can't get one of those just anywhere."

"No you can't, and I'm not sure I would have liked waiting more than a week to give you one."

I rested my head on his shoulder and said, "I feel better now that I have that all sorted out in my head."

"I do too," he said. "I'm also glad we didn't drag that out a few days."

I laughed and said, "I didn't have time to drag it out, or I'm sure we would have."

We sat there quietly for a few minutes before I lifted my head and pulled away from him. He gave me a curious look so I explained myself.

"I wasn't planning on staying here tonight. I can, if you want, but I have to go home and get Sully," I said.

"You know what?" Eric asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

"What?"

"I think you should get Sully, and all your other stuff, and move it here," he smiled.

I blinked. A lot.

"What?"

"I want you to move in with me," he said, a little more nervous than before. "I didn't really want you to leave, and you decided to stay here. You know I've been thinking about it a lot, and it just feels right having you here, in my house. It could be our house."

What a day I was having. First Baltimore, now Eric. I shook my head and inhaled deeply.

"You're sure that's what you want?" I asked him.

"Yes, I'm sure. And if you need time to think about it, then do that. I'm sure this is a lot for you in one day."

"It is a lot, and I want to make sure it's the right decision. I just need a little time to think about it," I said nervously, immediately worrying that he was going to think my answer was going to be a no, and he'd put himself out there for nothing.

"Okay," he smiled. "I want you to be sure too."

"Good. So should I go get Sully, or..."

"Yes, you should," he said with a laugh.

"Okay," I smiled and then got up off the couch. "I'll be back in a little while then."

I headed for the front door but stopped sudden and turned to see Eric was watching me walk away.

"I love you, you know?"

"You wouldn't be staying if you didn't," he said. "I love you too."

**oOoOoOo**

Elle wasn't terribly surprised when I told her I had decided to pass on the offer that had been made. My last day at the office would be August 17th, since it fell on a Friday. That meant I had just under a month to start looking for, and hopefully procure, a new job. Odds were I would be moving into Eric's house with him, which meant I would be selling my condo. The thought of putting it on the market when the economy was so crappy scared the daylights out of me.

Hell, it might even be worth it to continue to pay down my mortgage a little bit and see if the real estate market started to get better before I even bothered, but that was something I'd discuss with Eric. I took a couple of days to think things over, even though there wasn't really much to think about. Him asking me to move in with him wasn't that big of a surprise, considering we had discussed the possibility before.

I didn't think about it much, but I knew the day would come when he would ask me to marry him, and I knew there was no way I could ever say no. We had our ups and downs, but the fact that we had been friends for so long before we started dating meant that we could make it in the long haul. We had our fights but we always found a way to work it out, and no matter how annoyed we got with one another, there was always that basic mutual respect that we never violated.

Most importantly, I was ready. Living with him felt like the right thing to do, and I was excited about the prospect of it. It was amazing to think how far we'd come in just a little more than six months. Everything felt like it was falling into place, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, the opportunity to leave Eric was exactly what I needed in order for me to understand that I didn't want to.

He was where I wanted to be, whether that was in his living room, a beach in Michigan or wherever we ended up. As long as I was with him, I was going to be happy because he was what I wanted more than anything. Knowing that he felt the same way and didn't run away from it... I don't even know how to describe what that did to me.

What I do know is that I couldn't stop smiling, and by the time I left work on Friday afternoon, I was ready to tell Eric that I had made my choice. Since it was Friday, I knew he was at the bar. He had promised he wouldn't be there late, but I decided I would surprise him there anyway. I ran home, changed into a sexy little summer dress that would make his jaw drop and his pulse race. Just for him, I threw on the garters I'd bought for Valentine's day, and then headed over to the bar.

Parking was already a nightmare when I got to the bar, and ended up in a space that was reserved for Pam. Since her car wasn't there, I took her spot. If she showed up, I'd move. I walked in and Jamie immediately pointed me over to the bar. Eric was talking to the bartender, but looked like he was in a good mood. I stood at the end of the bar and pounded on top of it.

"Feeny!" I shouted to get Eric's attention. His eyes jerked over in my direction and he grinned at me. "Mr. Feeny! Feeheeneey!"

"Someone call for Feeny?" he asked when he walked up to me.

"I thought about making sex noises but that would have attracted too much attention," I shrugged.

"Yes it would have," he laughed, and leaned over the bar for a kiss. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see you," I said casually. "Busy night so far, huh?"

"Yeah, it's insane. I should be free in about an hour though if you want to wait on me."

"Sure. I've got nowhere else to be," I smiled at him.

"Are you hungry? If you are, I'll let you know when I'm close to done and have you head over and get us some food from Laff. I'm starving."

"Food sounds good. I haven't had one of his cheeseburgers in a while."

Lafayette's cheeseburgers were legendary.

"That sounds great," he said. "You want to wait here or go dance?"

"I think I'll wait here. Less chance of being molested," I snickered. "Besides, then I can distract you by watching you."

"I can do my work without you distracting me."

"Oh yeah?" I curled my finger and took a step back from the bar. I lifted my skirt just enough for him to see that I had garters on. "How about now?"

Evil? You bet.

"Shit," he groaned. "So, we're definitely having sex in my office later."

"I'll consider it," I winked at him.

Eric growled at me but went back to work. I ordered a drink and sipped it slowly. When he was almost done for the night he sent me a text and asked me to meet him over in the restaurant so we could eat. I grabbed my drink and crossed over to the other side to find Eric in one of the corner booths. I slid onto the seat next to him and kissed his cheek.

"I am _so_ glad it's Friday," I said while looking over the menu.

"Me too," he sighed.

"Got plans for this weekend?" I asked him, making sure to keep my eyes on my menu.

"Just being with you," he said.

"Well, I was thinking, if you're into it, maybe we could start moving some of my stuff over to your place," I said like it was no big deal.

His eyes snapped to mine, and a huge smile grew on his face quickly. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," I put my menu down. "I want to live with you. All the time."

"I love you," he said, and pulled my mouth to his to kiss me.

"I love you too," I smiled when he pulled back.

"Hey guys... what can I get for you?" A waitress by the name of Nikki asked when she stopped in front of our table.

"You ready to order?" I looked at Eric, who's hand was creeping up my thigh under the table.

"Yes," he smiled at me, then looked to the waitress to give her his order.

"I'll have the Lafayette Burger with bacon and pepper fries," I said and handed over my my menu.

"Sounds good. Do you need drinks?" Nikki looked back and forth between us.

"Just water for me," I looked to Eric, who wanted the same. "Sooo... how long do you think it'll take to move all my stuff?"

"If we rent one of those big trucks, we could load it all up and move it in a day with help. But if you'd rather just you and I do it, then it'll take longer, because I'll keep bending you over boxes and whatnot."

I elbowed him and said, "You will not. Besides, we should talk about what's staying and what's going."

"Well your bed is out. Mine fits us better."

"Obviously, but it could go in one of the empty spare rooms upstairs," I suggested. "My grandfather built that headboard, so I'm keeping that regardless of whether or not we keep the mattress."

"It can go in the spare room then. A lot of your stuff can. Anything you have an attachment to stays. And we can always put things in storage if we need to."

"I just have no idea what to do with my couch and my dining room stuff. Is it even worth it to store it? I suppose I could donate it," I grabbed my glass of water and drank some.

"You can do whatever you want with it," he said. "If you want to get rid of it, we could find it a home or donate it without too much trouble."

"This would be easier if you had bad taste or shit decorating skills," I laughed.

"But unfortunately, I'm very good at those things," he smiled.

"Mostly," I smirked and drank some more water.

"I want you to feel free to make any changes in my house, okay? It'll be ours, so it should look like it."

"Good. It's just going to take some getting used to. I'm so used to thinking of it as just _your _house, even with all the time I spend there."

"It won't be anymore. I'll even let you leave messes around."

"I'm telling you, it's good practice for when there are small children running around," I smirked.

"They will be taught to pick up after themselves."

"Of course. _Someone_ has to clean up after mommy," I snickered.

"I like you calling yourself mommy," he smiled.

"It sounds kind of weird to me, but that's probably a good thing. One step at a time, right?"

"Right. We're a ways off from getting there."

"And just for the record, I'm not in a big rush."

"I know you're not."

Our food came a few minutes later, and being that I was in a more playful mood I decided to play up the moaning while we ate. Eric said he wanted office sex...

He leaned over at one point and whispered in my ear, "I'm going to fuck you so hard when we're done here."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," I smiled and lewdly bit a fry.

"Minx."

"Admit it; it's one of your favorite things about me."

"It is," he agreed.

As usual, Eric was done eating before me, and staring expectantly for me to hurry up and finish.

"What's the rush? We have all night." I reminded him.

"The rush is that I have wood that I want to get rid of in a very fun way."

"You will," I smirked again and nearly choked on my water when he slipped his hand under my skirt.

"So will you."

The teasing under the table continued until I was too distracted to keep eating. I removed Eric's hand from under my skirt, and slid out of the booth. He quickly followed, and in a matter of moments were back in his office with the door locked behind us. Eric set me down on his desk and his hands cupped my face. He looked at me with such intensity, and I could see how happy he was and how much he loved me. We moved in at the same time and his lips smashed brutally against mine.

Clothes started flying off and we were reluctant to stop kissing in order to get naked. His mouth eventually moved to my breasts and he cupped them while his mouth moved purposefully. I unbuckled his belt and slid it out of its loops before unbuttoning his pants. Once he'd gotten my nipples as hard as they were going to get he cupped my face again and tilted my head back to kiss me. My tongue battled with his, and my hand reached into his pants to stroke his cock.

He hissed with my first stroke and one of his hands moved down and into my panties. His fingers brushed over my folds, and the between them to move up and down my slit. I felt a little gush between my thighs when he rubbed my clit and before I knew it, Eric had me bent over his desk. He tugged my panties down just enough, and after rubbing the head of his cock up and down my slit a few times, he pushed into me.

We moaned at the same time, and his hands held my hips as I rocked back to meet his thrusts. When I thought about what I would be giving up if I left him, my eyes filled with tears that I fought to blink back. I was staying, and even better, I was moving in with Eric. A sob escaped me, but it was out of happiness and excitement.

Eric pulled me upright and lifted my leg so my knee was resting on the edge of his desk. I turned my face and his lips met mine. His hand came around and tapped against my clit. I moaned for more, and his thrusts got a little harder.

"Fuck, Eric, I love you," I said as my walls started to flutter around him.

He growled against my neck and then pitched me forward again. I braced myself on my elbows, and was surprised when he pulled out of me suddenly. Instead he inserted his fingers and pumped them into me quickly, bringing me to my first orgasm. I cried out as my pussy clenched around his fingers.

When he pulled out again, Eric trails his fingers to my other entrance, and began to press against it. I groaned and put my head down, knowing what he was going to do next. Slowly and gently one of his fingers breached my other opening, and just the head of his cock slipped into my pussy. Little by little his finger worked into my ass and started to pump in and out. When he felt I was ready, he added another finger.

"Goddamn, sweetheart. You have no idea how hard I want to fuck your tight little ass right now," Eric said as his fingers moved slowly.

He was stretching and teasing me, and when he pushed his cock back into my pussy, I almost came again. He buried himself to the hilt, and his fingers in my ass worked a counter rhythm to his cock. It wasn't long before I was right back on the edge.

"Come with me, baby," I gasped, knowing it was close.

His hips moved faster and all of a sudden I came undone, clenching all around him and grabbing onto the desk so I wouldn't fall when my knees gave out. Eric growled loudly behind me and then released. I fell against the desk, gasping for air with my walls fluttering and pulsing around his cock while I came down from my high.

"I love you, Sookie," he whispered in my ear as he withdrew from me.

I smiled and said, "I love you too. You're stuck with me now, you know?"

"Good," he said and kissed my shoulder.

Of course, there was a knock at his door, which meant I was scrambling to find my clothes.

"Who is it?" Eric called like he was busy.

"Quit fucking your girlfriend and tell her to move her car out of my space!" Pam shouted from the other side of the door.

"Oops! Be right out, Pam!" I called. No point in denying we were fucking. The jig was long since up.

"You parked in her space?" Eric laughed.

"You said she wasn't going to be here!" I laughed with him. "Besides, how much longer are we sticking around here anyway? Her timing is perfect."

"I'm not getting any younger out here! Fuck on your own time!" Pam shouted through the door.

"Go away, Pam! We'll be out in a minute," he hollered, then said to me. "I vote we go to your place and start bringing your stuff over. We can get your clothes or something."

"God, you two are _so _brother and sister sometimes," I shook my head and pulled my dress back on. "And getting my clothes sounds like a great idea."

"Good," he smiled. "Let's do it."

We finished getting dressed and neither of us was surprised when Pam was standing in front of the door with a pissed off expression on her face and her toes tapping impatiently.

"Just because you're fucking my brother doesn't mean you get a parking space," Pam narrowed her eyes at me.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh go change your tampon."

Eric snorted beside me, and pulled me down the hall. "I love that you can go toe to toe with her. Isabel was scared shitless of Pam."

"Pam isn't as bad ass as she wants everyone to think she is."

"And you can see that."

"I've seen Pam indulge herself in weepy chick flicks and buckets of cookie dough ice cream. She's not that tough."

"How dare you imply that Pam is a woman?" Eric asked, aghast.

"I didn't say she was a woman; I just said she wasn't that tough," I laughed and unlocked my car. "So are you following me, or should I just meet you at your house after I pick up some of my stuff?"

"I'll follow you," he said.

I got in my car and ten minutes later I was pulling into my garage with Eric right behind me. We walked inside through the connecting door of the garage, and Sully was waiting at the door for us when he heard the jingle of my keys. I set my stuff down by the door, and went straight back to my bedroom. Eric followed and I pulled my suitcases out of my closet.

"Oh look! Pajamas," I grinned when I opened one of my dresser drawers.

"We can donate those," Eric said. "You won't be needing them."

"Ha! Nice try, Northman, but every day won't be naked day just because I'm living with you," I said and deposited the items into one of my suitcases.

"But that was the major deciding factor," he deadpanned.

"You based us living together on the possibility of adopting a nudist lifestyle?" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Maybe."

"Good to know," I turned and opened another drawer. "Then I guess by your standards, I won't be needing any of this either," I lifted two handfuls of lingerie out of the drawer.

"Fuck me," he groaned. "Okay fine, no nudist lifestyle."

I packed the things I would need immediately: summer clothes, stuff for work, toiletries and a couple of other little things. Sully was obviously excited to go since he brought me his leash so I could put it on him. Crazy dog.

"We're gonna live at Eric's house from now on, Sull," I scratched his head. "What do you think about that?"

He sneezed.

"I guess that's good?" I looked up at Eric and laughed.

"I'd say it's a good answer," Eric chuckled, and patted Sully on the head.

"Well, I guess we should start with taking this stuff out to the cars first, and then come back for the dog, huh?" I suggested and Eric nodded his agreement.

Between the two of us we were able to get everything outside in one trip. I went back inside for Sully and my purse, and then followed Eric back to his house. Taking everything in was more complicated thanks to the stairs, but we managed to get it done in relatively short order.

"Okay, so where am I putting all this?" I asked once the bags were sitting on his bed.

"We'll need to get a bigger dresser," he said. "Just shove all my stuff in the closet to one side."

While I did the shoving, Eric started unpacking the bags. It didn't take too long to get things put where they belonged, although I _did_ notice my pajamas had gone missing.

"Oh Eric?" I asked in a sing-song tone.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I don't suppose you know what happened to my pajamas, do you?" I asked in a non-accusastory tone.

"What? No."

"Interesting. They were in my bag when I left my house and now they seem to be missing."

"Oh, huh. That is interesting," he said, suddenly interested in the organization of his closet.

"Mmhmmm..." I eyed him suspiciously. It wasn't like my clothes had grown legs and run away.

I was willing to bet my entire life savings that he was stashing the missing clothes somewhere in the back of his closet. I'd find them sooner or later. In the meantime, I needed a shower so I headed to the bathroom. I piled my hair up and started the water.

"Sweetheart?" Eric asked, poking his head into the bathroom.

"Yes dear," I said over my shoulder and stepped into the shower.

"May I join you?"

"I'm just rinsing off. I have pajamas to find," I told him.

"You could always go nude. We should christen the bed tonight."

"Eric, we've christened that bed enough times to earn ourselves a spot somewhere a little further south of heaven," I snickered, and reached for the soap.

"I mean to do it as the first night in your new home," he said, staring at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"Ooooh," I nodded and stepped under the water to rinse off.

"So no jammies?"

"Maybe not tonight, but I still have to find them," I turned to wash my face.

Eric disappeared for a moment and came back holding one of my pairs of flannel pants. "Oh, look what I found!"

I faked shock and said, "Oh my God, it's a miracle!"

"Maybe Sully took them then brought them back," he grinned.

Blaming the dog? Was he serious?

"Or maybe it was a big, blond phantom that just wants me to run around the house topless all the time," I suggested.

"That would be a very smart guy."

"Hmph," I snorted and turned off the water. Eric handed me a towel and I wrapped it around my chest. "Seriously, Eric, where are my clothes?"

"I told you, I found them," he said. "They're sitting on the bed."

I gave him the hairy eyeball and went back to the bedroom to find that they were all stacked neatly on the bed. "Thank you for finding them!" I called out and muttered, "Even though _you_ took them."

"Gasp!" he said. "I did no such thing."

"Okay," I patted his shoulder and started sifting through the pile to find something to wear.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding something to wear. It's not bedtime yet and I need to see what we can move around downstairs so my stuff fits," I said and ended up grabbing a pair of boy shorts and a tank top to put on.

"Okay, what you picked is acceptable."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Enjoy it while you can because I'm telling you, when winter comes back so does the flannel."

"Noooo," he whined. "I'll let you use the electric blanket."

"I don't want to sleep on the surface of the sun," I cringed at the thought of using that thing again. No way in hell was that happening. "Oh my God, I have an idea though!"

"What?"

"Pillow fort in front of the fireplace!" I grinned and was damn near bouncy over the prospect.

"That sounds... fun."

"I don't mean now. I mean in the winter when we don't want to leave the house," I clarified and added, "and we can be naked the whole time."

He grinned, "This should be a winter rule."

"Speaking of rules, now that I'm living here, are there any new ones I need to be aware of?" I asked and hopped up onto his, I mean _our _bed.

"I don't think so," he said. "Oh wait. The blowjob rule."

"And what's this rule?" I leaned back on my elbows.

"Every Saturday, the woman living with me must wake me up with a blowjob."

"That's an interesting rule. How did that come about?"

"Um, it started when you asked me if there were any rules you needed to know, and I came up with that one."

I burst out laughing.

"Anything else?" I asked when I stopped laughing and Eric didn't look too amused.

"This is serious, Sookie," he said. "These rules will make or break us. Particularly the one about whipped cream."

"Whipped cream?" I rolled over laughing.

"Fine, don't take this seriously," he pouted.

"I'm sorry... I've just never heard of a whipped cream rule before," I gasped for air.

"It's an important rule. If you ever use whipped cream on anything in this house, it must also be used on my body or yours in a sexual way."

"You're serious?"

"Partially."

"Any other rules?" I rolled onto my side.

"Sex. Every night. I sleep better just after an orgasm."

"Don't I know it," I smirked.

"Oh, and you have to call me master."

"Master?"

"Yes. And you have to do me whenever I want."

"Anything else?"

"If I think of something, I'll tell you."

"Well, I'm glad we got that all cleared up, _Master_."

"Good girl," he said, then burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, it's just so hilarious to actually hear you call me that. You're so not a submissive in any sense of the word."

"I have my moments," I shrugged and then asked, "so is there a punishment for breaking these rules?"

"Spanking," he said, still giggling slightly.

"You're such a dork," I rolled my eyes at him and climbed off the bed. "Come on, _Master_, we have some rearranging to do downstairs."

"Wait, don't you have any rules for me?" he asked. "It's your house too now."

"I might. I'll have to think about it though," I said as I walked past him. "Oh, I have one! During Hell Week I reserve the right to fail to observe your blowjob rule."

"You can't. My rule was in place first and you agreed to it."

"Okay. Then I reserve the right to watch as many sappy chick flicks as I want without you pouting and bitching about it," I challenged.

"New rule! No rules," he grinned.

"No, no, no, I liked where this was going. You get your weekly beej, and I get to watch silly Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon movies. I think that's fair," I started down the stairs with Eric right behind me.

"I don't like that at all. I'd require a blowjob a day for that crap."

"Then what if we just watch musicals? We can sing along together. Or you can teach me the words when I don't know them," I teased.

"Well, with you living here, you will have to embrace that side of me. And yes, I do sing along."

"You're cute," I looked around the room and tried to figure out how to shift things so some of my stuff would fit. "Some of this Harry Potter stuff is going to have to go."

"What?"

"You heard me. Some of this stuff has to go. We're going to need the room for more important things."

"What could be more important than my wand collection?"

_Dryer lint?_

"My CD collection, for starters," I said as if he should know that.

He sighed, and then conceded. "Fine, but the wands are going on display somewhere. Maybe my office."

"That's fine. You don't have to get rid of it, it just has to move."

"Your CDs need to be organized in alphabetical order."

"Pffffft. You should have put that in your rules earlier. Besides, I organize them by genre, not alphabet."

I then made the mistake of reaching out and grabbing a couple of Eric's wands.

"Hey hey hey, don't just handle them like that!" He quickly took them from me, and cradled them lovingly in his arms.

"Eric, they're pieces of wood and plastic. I sincerely doubt I'd break any of them," I reached for two more.

"No," he said quickly. "I'll take care of them. You just go get your CDs or something."

"I didn't bring those with me tonight. I was just making space for them."

"Well... stand there and look pretty then," he said as he stacked the wands in his arms. He set them down, then pulled all their boxes out of a drawer in the coffee table. After they were all safe in their boxes, he handed them to me. "Okay, you can help now."

"Where are we putting these? The attic?" I teased.

"My office," he glared.

I smiled to myself and headed for the stairs. I wondered what would happen if I dropped one, and decided Eric would probably have a meltdown of some sort. When we got to his office I gently set the boxes down on his desk.

"They made it safe and sound," I turned back to smile at him.

"Thank you," he said, rewarding me with a kiss.

"You're welcome. Now we need to find a new home for the Star Wars stuff."

"My Star Wars stuff too?" he asked. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Otherwise the CDs are going to be scattered all over. You've seen how big my collection is," I walked out of his office and started down the stairs again.

Eric quickly caught up with me and stopped me from grabbing any of his collectibles from the shelves they were sitting on. God forbid I break a light saber.

"I guess you're right. When we have kids running around I don't really want them touching my good stuff."

"Then you better find somewhere better than your office to stash it because all they're going to see is that daddy has toys to play with," I plopped down on the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table.

"I like the sound of that," he said with a smile.

"You know, it's kind of funny... six months ago if I would have said something like that to you, you probably would have considered breaking up with me," I watched him as he cleared the shelves.

"Yeah, I might have, and I'm not proud of it. It's not scary anymore though."

"But that's why you should be proud of it, in some weird, roundabout way, since you _don't _feel that way anymore. You're all grown up now," I yawned, in spite of the fact that it was barely ten o'clock.

"I am, in a way. I've come a long ass way."

"Yes sir," I agreed and stretched a little. I really didn't want to go falling asleep already. "Are you sure you don't want some help with that stuff?"

"I suppose you could help," he said. "Just don't break anything."

"I'll do my best," I hauled myself up off the couch, and we made another trip up the stairs to his office where I carefully deposited the stuff I was carrying onto his desk. "I think we've moved enough stuff for one night."

"Bedtime?" he asked.

"I am kind of tired," I conceded and yawned again.

"Then let's go to bed."

We walked down the hall together to his bedroom-our bedroom- and I grabbed the pajamas that were piled up on the bed. They would need to have a home tomorrow, but at the moment I didn't really want to shift things around to figure out where to put them. Once the clothes were piled up out of the way, I climbed up onto the bed and stretched out.

"Have I ever told you how comfortable I think this bed is?" I asked once I got myself situated.

"No, usually when you're in it you're screaming my name," he smiled, then flipped off the bedroom light and climbed in with me.

"You do have a tendency to give me something to scream about," I scooted closer to him.

"You want something to scream about right now, or are you too tired?"

"No, I'm not too tired, but I'm sure I will be when you're done with me," I said and in an instant he was on top of me.

"That's what I like to hear."

"Yes, Master," I said with a giggle.

* * *

><p><strong>They're living together! Yay! Is it just me, or does anyone else love how dorky these two can be together sometimes? They're such goofballs when they want to me. Blowjob rule *smh* props to Scribe for coming up with that craziness. Again, she throws curve balls at me and I just have to deal with them, but that's what made this process tons of fun. We did a pretty extensive rewrite in this chapter. It was one of those times when a conversation just felt completely off. If I remember right we sort of rushed through it the first time around because we were both tired. The original conversation that Sookie has with Eric about her job moving its office was way more dramatic than it ended up being, and I think we both like this version much better. It's hard to believe the story is almost over, but it is. Only five chapters left to go! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	33. Dancing Days

**WE HIT THE 1k REVIEW MARK LAST NIGHT! Scribe and I are so excited about this, you just don't even know! It seems like stories hit that mark much easier these days, and I've been around long enough to remember when that was a damn tricky thing to do. I'm sure Scribe does too. Anyway, thank you all so much for all of your reviews, encouragement and stories you've shared with us over these last 32 chapters. We really do appreciate each and every word you leave for us. Reviews are a fun source of gchat/text/phone material for us.**

**Also, this chapter is _definitely_ NOT SAFE FOR WORK. It seems fitting that you're getting this chapter now, considering there is something included in this chapter that was mentioned a while back but has yet to really be fulfilled. So again I say, THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 33: Dancing Days<span>

"_Dancing days are here again as the summer evenings grow. I got my flower, I got my power, I got a woman who knows. I said it's alright. You know it's alright - I guess it's all in my heart. You'll be my only, my one and only." –Led Zeppelin_

I was able to take Eric's birthday off with my last sick day. I didn't tell him that ahead of time, though. As far as he knew I was going off to work and would see him after. So I'm sure it caught him completely off guard when he woke up around nine that Monday morning with my lips wrapped around his cock.

He groaned and his hand was in my tangled, messy hair immediately. I'd woken him up at midnight for his first official birthday fuck, and it had gone on until well after two. I didn't know what his plans for the day were, but I had things all figured out if he was willing to play along.

"Thought you were working?" Eric's hips started to thrust up a little.

My hand took over for my mouth and I said, "Took the day off. Hope you don't mind."

"You're in the middle of sucking my cock. You could light me on fire and I might not care," he smirked, "now get back to it, woman."

I squeezed the base of his cock a little more firmly and he hissed, but then I employed my mouth again and any complaints he had died in his throat. Mine, on the other hand, opened up for him and I took him as deep as I could. Eric groaned and guided my head up and down. My tongue swirled and my other hand massaged his balls.

I used every weapon in my arsenal, and when I felt him swell a little bit more I backed off and kissed my way up his stomach and chest to his mouth. "Why did you stop?" He demanded with a frustrated pout.

"Because I didn't want you to come yet," I said and kissed him deeply, taming his tongue with mine.

His hands cupped my breasts, plucking and pinching my nipples while we kissed until I broke away from him. I reached into the night stand and grabbed the bottle of lube inside. That got his attention. I handed him the bottle, and then reached into the drawer for a condom.

I could see that he was a little nervous in spite of all the steps we had taken to prepare me for this. I kissed him again and then shifted so I was at the middle of the bed on my hands and knees. I looked back over my shoulder and smiled at him. I was ready for this. For weeks I had been thinking about it, and I knew he wanted it too.

Eric moved so he was on his knees behind me and I could tell there was somewhat of a debate going on with him over what he wanted more since he currently had a choice. But then he opened the cap on the lube and squeezed some onto his fingers.

"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure," I spread my legs a little wider, knowing it would separate my lower cheeks a little bit more for him.

Eric squeezed more of the lube between my cheeks and then set the bottle aside. He stroked my lower back sweetly and then I felt his fingers at my entrance. There was initial resistance, and the little bit of pressure as his finger slid into me. He took it slowly, stretching me little by little, careful not to go too quickly. The last thing he wanted was to cause me any kind of pain.

"Still okay?" Eric asked when he had worked a third finger into me.

It was intense, at first, but it was necessary. "It's tight but okay," I took deep breaths, and when he reached around to rub my clit, the discomfort was overshadowed by the pleasure.

He kept fingering me until I came. I was thoroughly relaxed after that, and had no doubt things were going to go just fine. When I came down from my high I looked back at Eric.

"I'm ready, baby," I smiled at him.

He nodded and went for the condom. Once he got that on he used a generous amount of lube on himself and on me. I grasped the sheets in preparation, but stayed relaxed. I think Eric was more nervous than I was, to be honest.

"If you want to stop, just tell me," he leaned over and turned my face to kiss me. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, now fuck me," I said and he groaned.

"Put your hands back here for me, Sookie," he said and guided them to my cheeks to hold them.

His cock pressed against me, and again there was the little bit of resistance, but after a moment I felt him enter me just a little. I gasped at the feeling of it, and he froze.

"I'm okay, Eric. It's just a new feeling," I assured him.

He pushed a little deeper, and then pulled back a little. "Holy fuck, you're tight," he grunted as he pushed in a little more.

The stretching was incredible. Not painful like I had worried it would be, and because he was going slowly and stopping to add more lube when he needed to, it started to feel pretty good rather quickly. His fingers working my clit helped quite a bit, and before I knew it, he was buried inside me in a way no one ever had been before.

He pulled all the way out of me and then slid in again, and it wasn't quite as strange a feeling. Slowly he started to thrust into me, waiting for my cue to go faster. His fingers kept teasing my clit and when two of them slipped into my drenched pussy, I rocked back onto his cock.

"Oh fuck," I moaned and fell forward onto the bed. "Eric that feels so fucking good."

He started to thrust a little faster, holding my hips to pull me back onto him. His grunts, groans and growls joined my heavy breathing and moaning. Faster and faster he pumped into me, and his fingers rubbed my clit in time with his thrusts.

"Fuck, Sookie, I'm gonna come," he groaned. "Are you close, sweetheart?"

"Yes," I reached down and guided his fingers over my clit, but Eric still came before me.

He slammed himself into me and I cried out from the force of it. It didn't hurt; I had just never experienced anything like it before. I felt his release that coincided with the roar he let loose. I stopped touching myself, and stayed still for a moment while he slowly pulled out and got rid of the condom.

I expected to see a sloppy grin on his face, but instead the look was predatory. Eric flipped me onto my back and pulled me to the edge of the bed. He dropped to his knees, put my legs over his shoulders and buried his face between my thighs. I cried out and my hips lifted off the bed.

He held onto me tightly, fucking me with his mouth and tongue alone. He kissed my pussy like he would my mouth, and the more I writhed and tugged his hair, the faster his tongue flicked over my clit or dipped inside me. He didn't let up even when I tried to push his head away. I came at least twice before he finally backed off, and by then he was hard again.

He stood up with his cock in his hand, stroking himself as he stared down at me. There was an almost devilish look in his eyes when he asked, "Where should I fuck you, Sookie? Should I fuck your hot little mouth, your sweet little pussy, or your tight ass?"

"You've already had my throat and my ass this morning," I pointed out.

"That's true," he kept stroking himself, and stared at my glistening lower lips as he did it. "Where do you want me, Sookie?"

My hand reached down and touched the part of me he was staring at. "Here. I want you to fuck me here."

"As you wish," he said with a cocky smile and picked my legs up again. He lined himself up with my entrance and slid right in. "Fuck yes," he groaned, and pulled out again.

"Baby, don't tease me," I whimpered, and pinched my nipples.

Eric drove into me and started to pound me like he wanted to fuck me through the mattress, floor, and maybe into the basement. I cried out with every thrust of his hips, and when I came again everything went dark for a couple of seconds. When I opened my eyes they were unfocused and Eric wasn't done yet. He kept pounding away at me, and when I felt him swell, he pulled out and finished on my stomach and chest.

"Now," he gasped for air with a smug smile, "you need a shower, dirty girl."

I laughed at that, and tried to gain my composure while he went to start the shower. He came back with some toilet paper to clean me up a little bit, and then helped me off the bed. He kissed me hard and everything he felt for me was poured into that kiss.

"When we get out of the shower, we're going to get back in this bed and I'm going to go down on you for an hour," he warned me and I shivered in anticipation.

"But it's your birthday," I said, thinking it should be the other way around.

"Yes, it is, and I want to spend it tasting you," he said and playfully slapped my ass. "Now get moving."

"Yes, Master," I winked, and he chased me to the shower.

**oOoOoOo**

"All done?" I asked when Eric set his fork down and he nodded.

I managed to talk him out of bed long enough for me to make him breakfast, but I was sure the window I had to work with wouldn't last for long. Unfortunately for him, I had plans for the day that required us to not be in bed the whole time. I'd spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to get him for his birthday that wasn't just sexually related. He'd already gotten his highly coveted butt sex, so now was time for the present that had nothing to do with sex.

"So did you have plans for today?" I asked while I rinsed the dishes.

"The only thing I had planned was fucking you as much as possible," he grinned. "I don't think we've reached that point yet."

"Probably not, but there's something else I wanted to do today with you," I said as I started to stack the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Oh yeah? Is it a birthday surprise?" he asked.

"Yes, it's a birthday surprise, and no, I won't give you any hints on what it is," I told him before he got it into his head that he could pester me for information. He would just have to wait and see.

"Do we have to leave the house for it?"

"First you have to put some clothes on," I eyed his naked form parked at the kitchen table. He had refused to put any clothes on, stating that because it was his birthday he should be allowed to run around in his birthday suit. "Then we have to leave the house. But I promise you'll like your surprise."

"Okay," he smiled, seemingly deciding not to put up a fight.

"That's it? I don't have to beg or nag you for a half hour first?" I was shocked. Maybe his "old" age was finally catching up to him.

"Nope. I figure if you think it's important enough to make me leave the house on my birthday, then I should just shut my trap and go with it. It'll be worth it."

I shouldn't have been complaining, but there was something fishy going on. No doubt he'd make up for this time in clothing later with a new silly rule that would make me roll my eyes. Although, I have to say that Saturday morning blowjob rule wasn't quite so bad. I actually rather enjoyed that one. I wouldn't tell _him _that though.

Since I already had clothes on, I sent Eric upstairs to get dressed, and went out to my car to wait for him. He came down a few minutes later and got into the passenger's side. I pulled my sunglasses off of their clip on the visor and backed out of the driveway. It took exactly thirty seconds before Eric asked where we were going.

"I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait and see," I said as I drove along. "We'll be there in about forty-five minutes."

"Whoa, forty-five minutes? That's a long time."

"It's not that long."

"When you take that long, plus however long we're at wherever we're going, then how long it takes to come back, that adds up to a lot of time we could be fucking."

"What happened to shutting your trap?" I teased. I knew it wouldn't last.

"Oh alright, I will. I'm just excited about whatever this surprise is."

"Then why don't you pick the music?" I suggested since driving in a silent car bugged the heck out of me.

"How about a little Zeppelin," he said, and pulled his iPod out of his pocket.

"That works for me," I said as I merged onto the highway. Assuming the construction was under control, we might arrive at our destination quicker than forty-five minutes. I wasn't going to get my hopes up, though. "What's your favorite Zeppelin song anyway?"

"Same as yours," he grinned.

We were mostly quiet for the remainder of the drive, and since traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it might be we made it in half an hour. I pulled into the driveway of a ranch style house set pretty far back from the road and parked in the little gravel parking area. I unfastened my seat belt and looked to Eric.

"We're here," I grinned and opened my door.

"Did you buy me a house?" he asked.

"Ha! No, Eric, I didn't buy you a house," I waited for him to get out of the car.

"Did you bring me out here to kill me?"

"Yes, honey, I thought you'd want to live one of those Jim Morrison, live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse kind of lives," I rolled my eyes and led him to the front door of the house.

"Should I just shut up and wait to see why we're here?"

"I don't know, the Texas chainsaw killer could be inside. You might want to be ready to run for it," I deadpanned and rang the doorbell while he glared at me.

"That movie gives me the heebie jeebies," he shuddered.

The front door opened and a doughy little woman who was barely five feet tall smiled at us. I'd spoken to her a few times over the phone, but she hadn't seen me face to face.

"Can I help you?" she asked kindly.

"Mrs. Kramer?" I asked and she nodded. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse. We spoke on the phone earlier," I reminded her and her face lit up.

"Oh good! I'm glad you could make it. Give me just a second and I'll take you around back," she disappeared into the house again.

"If you want to run for it, Eric, now's your chance," I whispered.

"Hush, I'm curious now," he whispered back.

"Well I'm glad y'all found the place okay. Sometimes folks get lost thanks to the roundabout. So this must be Eric, then?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Mrs. Kramer, this is Eric Northman. Eric, this is Mrs. Kramer," I introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Mrs. Kramer said over her shoulder. She was the mother-in-law of one of the girls in the office, which was how I found out about the puppies she was breeding.

"Nice to meet you too," Eric said.

We rounded the corner of the house and that was when we could hear the whimpering and scratching of the puppies in their little pen at the far side of the yard. I turned to see Eric giving me a curious look.

"Now the ones I'm showing you today are just under ten weeks old, but they're ready to go to good homes," Mrs. Kramer said and Eric stopped me in our tracks.

"Surprise?"

"You got me a puppy?" Eric asked, his eyes wide.

"Well, I was thinking about it and I know you like Sully but I thought you might want to have a dog of your own. Mrs. Kramer raises pure bred mastiffs, and that seemed like something you would like. If you don't want it though-"

"No, this is great," he cut me off, grinning broadly. "You're amazing! A mastiff? This is so freaking great."

Mrs. Kramer cleared her throat and we turned to follow her. The pen where the puppies were had six little balls of fur wrestling with one another, and most of them were brown/tan all but one. There was a lone pup with black fur.

"Take your pick. I find that the one that comes to you is usually the right one," Mrs. Kramer informed us.

Eric and I knelt down beside the pen and he held out his hand to see which one of the pups stuck around.

"I hope it's the black one," Eric said.

"Why the black one?" I asked him and extended my hand as well. I was immediately accosted by puppy licks.

"That's the color of the mastiff in Harry Potter. If it's him, I'm naming him Fang," he smiled.

"You're adorable," I shook my head and watched as the black puppy made its way over to Eric's hand to sniff him out.

Three minutes later, the puppy was still there and I was pretty sure Eric was in love with the little fluff ball.

"Can I keep him?" he asked me, like a little kid.

"Looks like we have a winner," I smiled up at Mrs. Kramer.

"I'd say so," she nodded her agreement and then reached into the pen to lift the puppy out. "You'd be amazed how tiny they are when they're fresh from the oven. This was a litter of eleven."

"Jesus," I muttered, unable to imagine what I would look like if I had eleven baby Northmans crammed inside me at one time.

Eric took the pup from her, and it immediately started licking his face. "Sookie I fell in love with this little guy faster than I fell in love with you, but I don't want you to be jealous."

"That little guy is a little girl," Mrs. Kramer informed him.

"Then the bitch better back off," I smirked and Eric completely ignored me.

I had been momentarily replaced by the puppy as his favorite thing. Oh well.

While Eric and his new dog bonded with each other, I wrote the check to pay for the puppy (she mercifully cut me a deal because I was already a dog owner and her daughter-in-law vouched for me) and went to put down the little puppy pads I'd picked up that were in the back of the Jeep. In no time at all we were on the road and Eric was sitting in the back seat to make sure Fang was entertained.

"Can I still name her Fang if she's a girl?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," I shrugged. "She'll just be super bad ass."

"That's right," he said. "This is the best present ever."

"I'm glad you like it," I smiled and looked to the rear view mirror.

"Do you think Sully's gonna like her?"

"Sully's never had a problem being around other animals, so I'm sure it'll be fine. Well, until Fang gets bigger than him," I laughed at the thought of it.

"We're going to have to get her fixed."

"Yes, yes we are. I don't think we want any beagle/terrier/mastiff puppies running around," I cringed at the thought.

"Sully and Fang will be enough for us."

"More than. Puppies are a lot of work in the beginning... Did you have pets as a kid?"

"Nope. Pam said she was allergic," he said. "But I'm sure I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can." I agreed.

"Mastiffs get so big too. You'd be able to ride her like a horse when she's full grown."

"I doubt she'd like that very much," I snickered, although it was a funny thought.

"Well you wouldn't actually do it."

"No, I don't think I would."

We pulled into the driveway at Eric's house- _our _house- a short time later and that was when he learned I'd been been stashing away all the necessities for a puppy over the last week or so.

"How did you hide this from me?"

"Awww sweetie, you're easily distracted by boobs," I petted him as we walked into the house.

"This is true," he laughed.

"So I was thinking it might be a good idea to put down these puppy pad things in the laundry room until we get her trained to go outside," I suggested.

"Okay. Do we just take her out often or something?"

"Yeah, we'll have to take her out every two hours or so for a little while until she's trained. With Sully I leashed him and took him to a specific spot in the yard and told him to go. It sounds kinda crazy, but it worked, so it should work with Fang, too."

"I'm going with your expertise on this."

"I even borrowed some old baby gates from a friend of mine to block off a space in the laundry room for her. We're supposed to keep her sort of confined until she's trained," I explained to him. "Just like with a baby, schedules are key so we have to set one for her until she knows what's up."

"So this could kind of be like a trial run for our baby?"

"Sort of," I chuckled.

"Hey, come here," he said, still holding onto Fang.

"What?" I moved a little closer to him.

He wrapped his free arm around me and kissed me. "Thank you for this."

"You're welcome," I smiled up at him and scratched Fang between her ears.

"I wonder if she'll be a scaredy cat like Fang in Harry Potter."

I snickered and said, "Only time will tell. I guess we'll find out during the first thunderstorm we have."

"True. Should we introduce her to Sully now?"

"Sure," I said and called out for my dog. I was surprised he hadn't already come to find us.

Sully took his sweet time coming downstairs, and immediately went to the sliding door thinking it was time to go out. Instead, Eric set Fang down on the floor. Sully eyed the new dog like he was trying to make up his mind, and then slowly approached to sniff her out.

Fang nuzzled him, and Sully backed off a little.

"Awww Sull, be nice," I laughed while Eric looked mildly insulted.

"What if they hate each other?" he asked.

"I'm sure they just need to get used to having each other around. Give it time," I patted his arm.

"I hope so." He looked worried.

"Well why don't you take her outside to show her where to go potty, and I'll set up the laundry room?" I suggested.

"Okay," he said, and went to retrieve Fang. "You know, it might help when she sees Sully go. Though I hope she doesn't try to pee like him."

"What difference does it make as long as she isn't pissing all over the floor?" I pointed out. "And we should probably train her to stay off the furniture. We can start doing that with Sully, too."

"I don't mind if she's on the furniture. In fact, she should sleep with us tonight to make her feel at home."

"Um, no. Veto, veto, veto," I said firmly. "She's cute and cuddly now but in a couple of weeks she's going to be much bigger. If we let her get up on the furniture now imagine trying to sit on the couch when she's fully grown. Not happening."

"But-"

"No. We don't have kids now, but if that ever happens that's going to be a problem and I don't want our baby to end up smothered because Fang wants her spot on the couch back," I argued.

"Oh alright," he conceded. "I'll take them out now."

"Good boy." I patted him again.

"Do I get a treat when I get back?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do," I winked at him.

"Excellent," he said as he fastened Fang's collar and leash. "We'll be back."

**oOoOoOo**

Eric was outside after dinner with the dogs and I made him promise to stay outside until I called him in. As soon as he was gone, I started mixing the batter for funnel cake and hoped he stayed outside until they were done. Funnel cake was an interesting choice for birthday cake, but I knew Eric would appreciate it. Usually on his birthday we went mini golfing and then split a funnel cake, so it was a way of continuing our own little tradition.

I was willing to bet he'd be willing to take sex over mini golf any day of the week anyway.

When the cake was ready I went to the sliding door and called him back inside, wondering if he would know what I had done before he even got to the kitchen. The air definitely had that sweet, freshly fried smell lingering in it. Yum.

"She went number one and number two, then sniffed around Sully for a while," he chuckled as he brought them back in. "Did you cook something?"

"I did, but you need to put the puppy in the laundry room first," I told him.

"Okay," he said, and carried her to the laundry room. "Now what?"

I took his hand and said, "Now close your eyes and follow me."

I pulled him to the kitchen and sat him down on one of the chairs at the table. I wasn't going to torture him with my singing, but I did manage to prop a candle up in the funnel cake and light it. I set the plate down in front of him and went to the fridge for chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

"Okay, open your eyes," I said once I was standing beside him.

He opened them, and smiled. "You made me a funnel cake!"

"I did. It's not a conventional birthday cake, but it works for us," I leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday."

"You're not going to sing to me?" he asked with a pout.

"Do you _really_ want me to sing?" I lifted an eyebrow. "I will, if you want, but I don't want you to lose your dinner."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to. I should really make a wish before the candle falls over though," he said, and closed his eyes. After a moment, and a small smirk, he opened them and blew out the candle.

"Want a fork?" I offered, knowing he would probably turn it down. Forks were for wussies.

"You do not eat a funnel cake with a fork," he said, and started tearing a piece off with his hands.

"Just checking," I smiled and sat down at the chair next to his.

"Would you like some of my birthday cake? It's delicious."

"I might sneak a piece, but that's mostly for you. I'm still full from dinner," I smiled at him.

"We always share a funnel cake," he said.

"I know. I just usually don't have a tummy full of meatloaf and mashed potatoes when we share it."

"Please?" he puppy-eyed me.

"Okay, okay, you win," I reached over, tore off a piece and put it in my mouth.

"There now, don't you feel better?"

"It's delicious," I agreed with a smile, and pulled another small piece.

"This is the best birthday ever," he said.

"I'm glad," I grinned. "You got all kinds of fun stuff today."

"Sex, blowjobs, sex, butt sex, more sex, food, a freaking puppy, and now funnel cake," he smiled. "And there's still more day left."

"Yes there is. How do you want to spend it?" I asked.

"I was thinking about more sex, but I'm not sure if you're up for it," he wiggled his eyebrows at me. "We have done that a lot today."

"No, I'm good. It's your birthday, so you get to pick what we do."

"First, we need to get naked again. There's still acceptable birthday suit time left. And then we fuck, lots of times."

I giggled and said, "If that's what you want, then that's what you get."

"I love you," he said, and leaned over to give me a very sweet, literally, kiss.

"I love you too," I pulled off another piece of the funnel cake and fed it to him.

"We should have a new rule where we have these every night."

"Yeah, but then they wouldn't be as special," I pointed out. "I like that I only have it once a year. It gives me something to really look forward to, you know?"

"Yeah, that, and we'd both get really fat," he laughed and popped another bite into his mouth.

"That too," I said and got up to get a glass of milk.

"I can't believe how old I am though."

"Me either. I should probably start looking into senior citizen residences or something for you," I sat down at the table again. "Maybe next year I'll get you a cane for your birthday."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Seriously! I mean, who doesn't want shiny new hearing aid? Or one of those scooter things you always see commercials for on TV?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I'm totally robbing the cradle. Clearly, you are too young and immature for me."

"Yes, clearly," I laughed and when I reached for another piece of funnel cake he batted my hand away.

"You can't have anymore."

"But why?" I gave him the pouty lip.

"You said I was old."

"No I didn't. _You _said you were old and I didn't disagree with you. There's a difference." I reached again for the funnel cake.

"Oh fine, have some," he said.

"You I don't really think you're old, right?" I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"You sure about that?"

"Ask me again after naked time," I winked at him.

"I will," he grinned.

**oOoOoOo**

Fang was whimpering downstairs and I didn't have the ability to get up at the moment. My legs weren't functioning quite yet.

"Eric, sweetie, the puppy needs to go outside," I tapped his shoulder.

"Oh, right," he muttered. "Can I go outside naked?"

I laughed and said, "That's your choice, but don't be shocked if that creepy lady that lives across from you starts taking pictures."

"Right, I'll put on my fluffy robe," he said, and got off the bed.

"Fluffy robe?" I pushed myself up onto my elbows. "You have a fluffy robe?"

"I do," he said from his position, bent over in his closet. "You've never seen it because I've never worn it."

I probably should have answered but I was too busy admiring his ass. So busy that I didn't notice him stand up and look over at me.

"You are so getting laid again when I get back," he said as he pulled on the charcoal gray robe he had in his hand.

Did I miss something important?

"What's got you all fired up?" I asked while he pulled the robe on.

"You were staring at my ass with fuck me eyes."

"I didn't even notice," I said with a small smile. "But for the record, you do not have an old man ass."

"That's because I'm not an old man," he said, and walked out of the room to take the puppy out.

No, he definitely wasn't and he'd proven it to me. Twice.

I stayed in our room, stretched out on our bed, and was proud of myself for thinking of it as _ours_ instead of his. I was still getting used to the idea of everything being shared, and there were times when I'd ask him if it was okay to move one thing or the other, or change something I wasn't crazy about and Eric always looked at me like I was a little goofy for asking if I could do whatever I wanted in my own house. But that was just it... even if I was living there too, it wasn't just _mine_.

As soon as Eric came back upstairs a few minutes later he ditched the robe and climbed back into bed.

"Well, you've got about twenty minutes left of your birthday," I rolled onto my side so we were face to face. "How do you want to spend them?"

"I'd like to spend them... balls deep."

"In what?" I lifted my eyebrow since he now had a myriad of options.

"Hopefully your pussy, but I wouldn't object to your mouth either," he grinned, and rolled on top of me.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so when I originally came up with the idea of Sookie getting Eric a dog for his birthday I ran it past Scribe, who was in love because we're both dog lovers. Her only condition was that Sookie get Eric a big dog. I know essentially <em>nothing<em> about the Harry Potter fandom. I've read the first book and started the second, but I'm definitely not a card carrying member of the fandom. I was looking at large breeds of dogs to see which ones were friendly and kid compatible since that's definitely a consideration Sookie needed to make for the future. Then I was googling pics to see which puppies were the cutest and I got a case of the swoons when I looked at the Mastiff puppies. So I told Scribe I had decided Eric would be getting a Mastiff and I swear, she just about had a stroke. I had no idea there was a Mastiff in Harry Potter, so this was pretty much a sign from the Gods that Eric was meant to have a dog. So anyway... now they have Fang. Thanks for reading!**


	34. Down With the Sickness

**For those of you who asked in reviews and I wasn't able to reply to because of either laziness or due to the time your review was submitted, I just thought I'd mention that Eric turned 33 in the last chapter. Sookie turned 30 a few chapters back. So there's a slight age difference, but nothing too major. And just for IkeaGoddess, your review cracked me up this morning. This is a chapter that may not affect _your_ waistline, but it definitely will affect Sookie's. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 34: Down with the Sickness<span>

"_Get up come on get down with the sickness. You mother get up come on get down with the sickness." –Disturbed_

I'd been feeling like shit for days. I assumed it was due to the stress with my job ending and the moving in with Eric... I just figured I was overwhelmed and not getting enough sleep or something. Then you throw PMS on top of it and I thought maybe it was just fatigue setting in and my body's way of telling me to relax.

Then I started throwing up.

We were sitting down together when all of a sudden my stomach turned itself inside out and I barely made it to the trash can before lunch came hurdling back up at me. Eric was behind me in a flash, holding my hair back while I hurled. I hadn't been sick like that in a while, so I'd forgotten how disgusting it was to throw up. When there was nothing left in my stomach, I finally stood up straight. Eric passed me a paper towel and got me a glass of water.

"Thank you," I said and sipped the water slowly, afraid it would just come right back out.

"Are you sick?"

"I don't know," I was shaking a little, and slowly made my way back to the table. "I've been tired the last couple of days but I just figured it was stress."

"Did you eat something weird?" he asked, and began rubbing my back gently.

"No, I don't think so," I said and recalled what I'd eaten earlier. "I had fruit and yogurt at my desk for breakfast this morning and I went to lunch with Elle and just had a salad. Nothing tasted weird or I wouldn't have kept eating it. Maybe it's just some weird twenty-four hour thing."

"I hope so. You look miserable."

"Thanks?" I snickered and drank some more of my water.

"Well no one likes to puke," he laughed.

And on that note, the water came up too.

"Ugh," I groaned and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Whoa, even water?" he asked, looking concerned. "You need to see the doctor."

"I'll call in the morning," I said and tried to stand up. Damn legs seemed to be on the fritz too.

"Let me take you to bed," he said, and swept me off my feet.

Usually I would have argued with him about carrying me upstairs, but I was in no shape for that false modesty bullshit. If he was willing, so was I.

"Thank you," I leaned against him as he started up the stairs.

"Don't mention it. I want you to take a nap, and I'm going to run to the store for some ginger ale."

"You don't have to do that," I said as he sat me down on the bed.

"I'm going to. Do you want anything else while I'm out? Any medicine?"

"No, I think the ginger ale is enough."

"Alright, get some rest, sweetheart," he said, and kissed my forehead.

I smiled weakly and watched him walk out of the room. I stayed on the edge of the bed for a minute, but then got up, changed clothes and brushed my teeth. Fang was whimpering downstairs to go outside, so I carefully went down to take her out. When Eric returned from the store, I was still out in the yard with Fang squatting at her potty spot.

"That was quick," I smiled at Eric, who clearly didn't approve of me being out of bed.

"Why aren't you napping?"

"Fang had to go potty," I shrugged.

"Well I've got her now, you go upstairs and lie down."

"Yes sir," I handed over the leash and kissed his cheek before going inside.

I thought about stopping in the kitchen to clean up, but no doubt Eric would chase me out of there if he caught me. When I got upstairs there was a glass of ginger ale sitting on the table on my side of the bed, along with a tube of Saltine crackers. I climbed into bed, but didn't sleep. For some reason my eyes refused to close. I was up there for maybe a half hour when Eric came up to check on me.

"Thank you for the soda and crackers," I smiled at him but didn't otherwise move. "We need to put a TV in here."

"That's not a bad idea," he said as he crawled into bed next to me. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, really," I sighed. "I'm not used to being in bed this early, at least not for sleeping purposes."

"Would it help you nap if I napped with you?"

"It might, but you should go eat dinner. I'll be fine."

"I'll bring you dinner. Is there anything you think you can keep down? Broth maybe?"

"No, thanks, I'm not really hungry at the moment. Maybe I just need to sleep it off."

"Then try to sleep and I'll come check on you later."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I hovered in that place between being asleep and awake for a long time before sleep finally took over. When my eyes opened again it was nearly midnight and I was still alone in bed. Slowly I got up and went to the bathroom. The nausea from earlier was gone, and even though it was a bit of a dare, I drank a glass of tepid water. I stood over the sink, prepared to turn for the toilet if anything decided it didn't want to stay down, but nothing happened.

Convinced I was feeling better, I headed downstairs and decided to try eating something. My appetite had returned but instead of heating up leftovers from dinner, I cut up an apple and smeared it with peanut butter. I found Eric asleep on the couch, and sat down beside him. The TV was still on so I grabbed the remote from the coffee table and flipped through the channels until I landed on the Food Network. Eric opened his eyes just as Ted Allen was calling time on a rerun of _Chopped_.

"Hey," he said sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Hi," I smiled at him and took another bite of my apple. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. Are you feeling better?"

"I am. So far I feel okay eating this. We'll see what happens, though," I shrugged and took another bite.

"I hope it passed."

"Same here. So what'd you do while I was sleeping?"

"Ate some leftovers, watched some TV, played with the dogs, took them out, watched more TV, and passed out."

"Sounds like you had a full night," I smiled over at him.

"It was fun, but lonely without you," he smiled back.

I managed to get down half of the apple before my stomach revolted. I tossed the plate I was holding in the general vicinity of the coffee table and ran for the bathroom. If it wasn't for my hand covering my mouth, I would have made one hell of a mess. Thankfully, round two didn't last as long as the first, and before I knew it I was back in Eric's arms being carried up the stairs again.

"Dammit," I muttered in frustration under my breath.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said. He kissed my temple, and carried me back into the bedroom where he deposited me on the bed. Then he went into the bathroom and came back with a bottle of mouthwash and a cup for me to spit in. "Here. Swirl and spit."

I did as he suggested and felt a little better for having that foul taste out of my mouth.

"And here I thought I was safe with an apple and peanut butter," I sighed and lie back.

"Try crackers next time," he smiled sympathetically.

"Ugh, I don't want a next time. That was more than enough for me," I turned onto my left side and hoped that would help.

"I'll get up early and call the doctor for you."

"No, it's okay. I have to call Elle anyway and tell her I won't be in." Technically I was out of time off, but seeing as how my last day was the following Friday it wasn't like they were going to fire me for missing a day.

"Want me to take the day off too so I can take you?"

"Eric, that's sweet of you, but I'm sure I'll be able to drive myself," I reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Alright," he said. "What about going to bed now?"

"I think that's a good idea," I yawned. I was still hungry, but no way in hell was I going to try eating again.

"Then let's get some sleep."

**oOoOoOo**

I didn't sleep for long before the nausea began again, and I spent most of the night going back and forth from the bathroom. Finally just before sunrise I gave up and stayed on the bathroom floor. Eric hadn't heard me on my last trip, and when he woke in the morning to find me on the floor, he carefully lifted me and brought me back to bed. I slept for a couple of hours, and when I woke up again he was sitting anxiously beside me with his laptop on the bed in front of him.

"What time is it?" I grumbled and rubbed my eyes. My throat felt like it had been sandpapered and then rubbed with lemon juice.

"About nine," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I swallowed gravel," I rasped. "I need to call Elle and then my doctor."

Eric reached over and handed me a bottle of water, and then my phone. "I've called in too. You're not going anywhere alone."

"Eric-" I started to argue, but was cut off.

"No," he said firmly. "You spent most of the night on the bathroom floor, you're in no condition to drive yourself anywhere."

"It wasn't most of the night... just a couple of hours," I said weakly and he gave me one of those 'thanks for proving my point' expressions. I sighed and dialed Elle's number.

Calling in sick was easier than getting an appointment, but someone else called to cancel for that afternoon, so I was able to get myself scheduled for two. With my appointment made, and Eric looking a little more relieved, I decided I should try to eat something. After a quick pit stop in the bathroom to pee, I slowly walked downstairs to make myself some toast with Eric watching me like a hawk.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked while I waited on the toast.

"Worried," he said.

"I'm sure it's just a bug, Eric. You're not feeling sick, are you? Maybe I should sleep in the guest room until I'm better so we don't start passing this back and forth," I suggested.

"I'm not feeling sick at all, and if anyone sleeps in the guest room it'll be me," he insisted.

If I wasn't worried about getting him sick, I would have kissed him.

My toast popped up and I buttered it lightly. I poured myself a small glass of ginger ale and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Eric was still watching me closely.

"I know you mean well, but you staring at me like that is making me nervous," I said as kindly as I could.

"Sorry," he said, and made himself busy cleaning the knife I'd used on the butter.

"How's Fang doing this morning?" I asked while I nibbled my toast.

"Good," he smiled. "She's only had one accident in the house."

"That's great," I smiled back at him. "We should call the vet and have her scheduled to be spayed. She's old enough for it now."

"We'll do that when you're feeling better."

I nodded and took another bite of my toast. I was just starting to feel confident about eating when the nausea started up again, and rather than wasting my time eating anymore, I excused myself and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later, my toast had found a new home.

"I hate throwing up," I whined to myself, using my arms to pull me up on the vanity beside the toilet.

"I don't think anyone likes it," Eric said, and helped me stand again. "I wish you could keep something down. You're not getting any nutrition."

"Tell me about it," I mumbled and bent to rinse my mouth out.

"Do you want to go back to bed until your appointment?"

"I probably should," I nodded and turned for the door.

"I'll wake you up around one," he said.

"Thanks," I smiled and made my way back upstairs.

Another attack hit me before I could get back into bed, and after spending another twenty minutes on my knees in the bathroom upstairs, I finally made it to bed. I didn't want to move. Every muscle in my body hurt, and even though I wasn't running a fever or displaying any other symptoms of illness, there was definitely something wrong.

True to his word, Eric came and woke me up just before one. I moved like a zombie and it was a good thing he had taken the day off because there was no way I would have been able to drive myself anywhere. Just getting dressed took more energy than I had, and as soon as we were in the Jeep and I gave Eric directions, I was asleep again.

"Sookie," Eric said, shaking me gently. "We're at the doctor's office."

I grunted and slowly opened my eyes. Eric unbuckled my seat belt, and I reluctantly opened my door. Before I could stand up, he was waiting for me outside the Jeep and helped me to my feet. He wrapped an arm around me and I leaned against him while he closed the door. We walked into the doctor's office together, and I found out the hard way that taking an elevator while nauseous is a bad idea. How I had anything left in me to lose, I had no idea, but it was lucky for me there was a bathroom right down the hall or I would have redecorated the carpet.

Eric had to wait outside in the hall for me, but a few minutes later I came out to find him pacing.

"You okay?" he asked. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

I just shook my head and leaned into him. We walked down the hall to the office, and as soon as we were inside I noted the number of women waiting to be seen. I could only hope that the doc wasn't running too far behind schedule. Usually I tried to set my appointments for first thing in the morning for that very reason. I went to the receptionist's desk and checked myself in. I forked over my co-pay and then went to take a seat to wait for my name to be called.

"I hate seeing the doctor," I mumbled and leaned against Eric's shoulder. "Will you come back with me when they call my name?"

"I don't think you could stop me," he smiled.

I let my eyes close and I lost track of how long we were sitting there before my name was finally called. Eric whispered my name and shook me gently. He helped me up and we walked back to where a nurse was standing in colorful scrubs with my chart in her hands.

"Sookie?" she asked with a bright smile that made me want to punch her.

"Mmhmm..." I nodded and tried to smile back.

The nurse looked at Eric and then at me. "Do you want him to come with you?"

I nodded again and Eric's grasp on me got a little tighter. The three of us walked through the door, and Eric had to let me go when the nurse insisted on weighing me before letting me into one of the exam rooms.

"We'll deduct a couple of pounds for the clothes," she winked at me, not that I cared how much I weighed at the moment.

It turned out I'd lost weight since my last appointment, but I didn't contribute that to the last twenty-four hours. I was taken to an exam room after that and the nurse, Holly, asked me what was wrong. I ran down what had been going on in the last couple of weeks with the exhaustion and how I had assumed it was just stress until I started throwing up the night before.

"Sounds like it could be a simple bug, but I have a few other questions to ask," she looked over my chart and then asked when my last period was.

"Um... about two weeks ago," I recalled and rubbed my eyes.

"Any chance you could be pregnant?" Holly asked in an off-handed way.

I looked to Eric and it was like a light had gone on in both of our heads.

"I'm on birth control," I said, but that didn't mean I couldn't be pregnant.

"Are you sexually active?" Holly kept her eyes on me, rather than looking to Eric like he was the bad boyfriend who knocked me up.

"Yes," I said with a hint of a blush.

"Okay, well, then we'll start you off with a pregnancy test since that's the easiest thing to eliminate. I'll be right back," Holly smiled, patted my knee and left the room.

Fuck.

"Do you... Do you think you could be?" Eric asked.

"It's possible," I shrugged. "I mean I take my pill at the same time every day, but things happen."

"It's not 100%," he agreed. "Shit, what if you are?"

A baby wasn't part of the plan just yet. Eventually, yes, a baby would be great. Now? Not so much.

"We'll deal with it," I said in a vacant tone since I didn't really want to think about it until I had to.

"Right," he said, and his tone was just as vacant as mine.

Holly came back with a little specimen cup and pointed me in the direction of a bathroom down the hall. She explained that they could run the test and we would know in a matter of minutes what the results were. In less than fifteen minutes, my whole life could change. Wasn't that a kick in the neck?

I came out of the bathroom with my little cup full of pee and handed it off to her for testing. While I waited for the results I went back to the exam room so Holly could process the test. Eric was sitting hunched in a chair with an almost greenish tint to his skin. I knew the feeling.

"She's running the test now," I said and climbed back onto the exam table. "We'll know in a few minutes."

"Okay," he said, and that was it.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, since he didn't look so good.

"I'm freaking out a little," he admitted.

"Same here," I admitted, hoping it would make him feel a little better to know he wasn't alone.

"I just always imagined this moment a little differently," he said. "And I definitely didn't think a fetus would literally suck the life out of you."

I smiled at him and said, "I thought it would be different too. Maybe it still can be."

"We won't know until the peppy lady comes back," he laughed, breaking the tension a little.

"God, I want to punch her," I groaned.

"I want to punch her for you, but I can't because it's wrong, and she's a woman."

"Yeah, it's probably better if we don't punch her," I agreed and my smile faded. "If it's positive, we'll be okay."

"I know we will," he said, and took my hand.

Holly came back into the room a minute later and said, "Well, the results are in."

Eric and I looked at each other and then at Holly. "And?" I was seriously going to punch her.

"It's a negative," she said in an emotionless tone.

I sagged with relief but the little squeeze Eric gave me had me looking his way. Was that disappointment I saw on his face? I wasn't sure and then Holly was back to asking me questions. The doctor came in a short time later and he ordered a series of tests that required Holly draw my blood. In the meantime I was sent home and told to get some rest, drink as many fluids as I could and go to the hospital if I started to vomit blood. Lovely.

"I guess we dodged a bullet, huh?" I asked Eric as we walked out of the office.

"Yeah," he said with a half-smile.

"Are you okay with that?"

"I am. It's not like they were telling us we're never going to be pregnant," he said. "I think I'm just more ready than I thought."

"When the time is right, we'll get there," I squeezed his hand while he pushed the call button for the elevator. "But it's good to know you're thinking about it."

"At least I know now that I'll be fine when the results come back positive."

"That's good. One of us shouldn't have a panic attack," I snickered as the elevator doors opened.

"Were you having a panic attack?" he asked.

"No, but I probably would have if it was positive. I mean, I want to have a baby someday, but we're still getting used to living together. I'm about to be unemployed, I have a condo to sell, there's a puppy that still needs one of us to let her out in the middle of the night and it's just... it's not the right time."

"I wasn't thinking about any of that," he said, his eyes widening.

I laughed as the doors opened on the first floor of the building and said, "And that's only the tip of the iceberg as to what was going on in my head."

"Care to fill me in on the rest of it?"

"Well, there are all the worries that there could be something wrong with the baby. Like what if it's born blind, or there's a problem during delivery and something happens to the baby or me? Do we get married? What are my parents going to think? Am I really ready for all of this? Do I stay home and raise the kid or do I go back to work? How am I going to support the kid and myself if things between us don't work out? There's just a lot to consider," I said as we walked to the car.

"Wow. That's a lot to think about."

"Yeah, it is. What were you thinking about?" I climbed into the Jeep.

"How cute our baby would be."

"That's it?" I was dumbfounded.

"Yeah," he admitted with a little blush. "Clearly you'll be the worrier in this relationship."

"Clearly," I buckled myself into the passenger's seat.

Honestly, I didn't think it was so strange that I was thinking the way I was. They all say that a woman becomes a mother as soon as she finds out she's pregnant, but it doesn't really become real for a father until he holds his child. I suspected for Eric that feeling would probably come when he saw the baby inside me, or he felt it kick his hand. But again, we were a long way off from that happening.

"That's not weird, is it?" he asked. "That I was only thinking about the cuteness of the baby?"

"It was probably a normal guy reaction," I shrugged. I didn't know since I wasn't a guy. "Ask JB, I guess."

"Yeah, I might."

When we got home I went straight back upstairs and took a shower. After that I tried eating again, only to have the same result as before. I was worried I was going to end up in the hospital due to dehydration. Until the doctor called with the results of all my tests, I wouldn't know what was wrong. The best possible outcome was some sort of flu. The other possibilities he mentioned meant drug regiments and being hospitalized, and I didn't want either of those things.

I got settled in bed again and Eric brought me a bottle of water. "Thanks," I smiled weakly at him.

"I'm going to take the dogs out, and then I'm crawling in here with you."

"Okay," I turned onto my side and closed my eyes.

**oOoOoOo**

Two days later I had stopped throwing up but I still felt like a rag doll. The doctor's office called to say they couldn't find anything and reminded me to just take it easy and keep drinking as much fluid as I could. I stuck to soft foods and Eric was only going into the office because I forced him to. I promised I would call him if I needed him. All the same, he was reluctant to leave me.

"You're only ten minutes away if I need you, Eric. I'm sure I'll be fine," I insisted.

"I still don't like leaving you like this," he pouted.

"I know, and I love you for wanting to take care of me, but you have work to do and I really think I'll be okay here."

"Please call me for anything," he said. "Even if it's small."

"I will," I promised him and kissed his cheek before turning him toward the garage door.

"Love you," he said over his shoulder.

"Love you too," I waved at him.

I really did love him, but I was glad he was going to work. He was hovering like a nervous mother and it was starting to get on my nerves. I watched his car pull out of the driveway and then I went upstairs to his office where my laptop was charging. I needed to check my email since I hadn't done that in days. I'd been sending out resumes right and left for any available human resources positions within a twenty mile radius. If I didn't find a job right away, I had a little bit of a cushion to fall back on, but I would rather keep it in the bank.

I wasn't going to live off of Eric.

After I got caught up on my emails I started a load of laundry, including the sheets I'd been sleeping on since I got sick. Eric never came down with whatever it was I had, thank God. I took Fang out for her usual potty times and put up her water bowl at the same time we did every night in hopes of training her not to need to go out in the middle of the night. I was painting my toe nails on the couch when the garage door went up, alerting me to the fact that Eric was home.

"Honey, I'm home," he called cheerfully.

"In the living room!" I called back and turned my head to see him coming toward me. "How was work?"

"It was good," he smiled, and took a seat next to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Still tired, but I couldn't just lie around anymore. I got some laundry done, checked my emails, cleaned the kitchen a little..." I trailed off when he looked at me with a hint of annoyance. "What?"

"You were supposed to be resting."

"That's all I've been doing for days. I suck at sitting for too long. You know this," I said went back to painting my toes.

"Where's my puppy?" he asked.

"In the laundry room, I think. I just filled her food bowl a little while ago."

"I'm gonna go get her," he said and got up.

"Okay," I said and kept on painting my nails.

Eric found his puppy and was immediately baby talking her. I shook my head and listened to all the cutesy things he said to her. I swear, if I didn't know any better I would think he was talking to a toddler. He came back with Fang in his arms and got down on the floor to play with her.

"I love this dog," he laughed as she lunged at him.

"I can't believe how big she's gotten in the last two weeks," I marveled as Eric wrestled with the puppy on the living room floor.

"I know," he said. "Before you know it she's going to beat me in a match easily."

"Are you kidding? She's already got you wrapped around her little paw," I snickered. Eric was a total sucker when it came to that dog. It was the best investment I'd made in a while.

"I can't help it, she's cute."

"You're a sucker," I sighed. I'm definitely going to be the bad cop when we have kids.

"I've always been a sucker. Look at how I landed you," he pointed out. "I tried to resist, I did."

"Pfffffffffffft!" I threw a pillow at him. "That is the biggest pile of bullshit ever, Mr. No More Thinking."

"Hey!" he said as he dodged the pillow. "I did! You kissed me, and I stopped you and said we shouldn't do it."

"Yeah and then my boobs must have distracted you because that lasted for all of ten seconds before you changed your mind."

"Can you blame me?"

"There's no blame here; I just don't want you to get it twisted. You were willing that night."

"But for at least a minute, I resisted."

"I don't need to remind you what happened the second time, do I?" I smirked.

"The second time?" he asked, baiting me.

"Yeah, when you got all jealous because I was dancing with Sam," I set the bottle of nail polish aside.

"There was no jealousy. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, there was a little bit of jealousy. But I would feel the same if Fang here up and decided someone like Jason was more fun than me."

"Well, I couldn't really blame her there. I mean, Jason does have the same mentality she does. I think they also might be equally mature."

"No way. Fang is way smarter than him. Aren't you, girl?" he asked her as he smooshed her face between his big hands.

"Would you like me to give you two some alone time?" I offered.

"Oh hush, you're the only one I love like that."

"I better be or we have some serious problems that will start by Fang being donated to the local animal shelter."

"Hell no! And why just Fang? Why not Sully too?"

"Are you gay for dogs?" I couldn't even believe that sentence just left my mouth.

Eric only rolled his eyes. "Really, Sookie?"

"You put it out there... figuratively speaking."

"What are we going to do with her?" he asked Fang, and she finally let out a bark. It was the first time she'd done that since we got her. "She barked!"

"Awww it's like baby's first word," I smiled and I thought Eric was going to kiss her for a second.

"It's so cute!"

"You're adorable," I stretched out on the couch and propped my feet up on the arm of it.

"No I'm not."

"Baby, we've been over this," I sighed.

"Yeah yeah," he said, and fell back on the floor. Fang pounced on him, and he started laughing.

I teased him about it, but he really was adorable with the puppy. It was easy to imagine what he would be like with our kids when they were crawling or just learning to walk. I shook those thoughts away; however, because that was the last thing I needed to be thinking about. There were plenty of other things that should have been occupying my mental space.

I watched them play for a while, but my eyelids started to get heavy. I yawned a few times and then decided it was probably best to go up to bed. A little extra sleep couldn't hurt after the way I'd spent the last couple of days.

"I'm going up to bed," I announced when I stood up.

"Not feeling well?" he asked.

"No, I'm feeling okay, actually; I'm just tired," I shrugged.

"Alright. I'll be up in a few. I just want to let the dogs out again."

"Okay," I bent down to kiss the top of his head and pet Fang. "Goodnight, Fang."

I headed upstairs and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take my hair out of the ponytail it was in. I traded my yoga pants and tank top for an oversized t-shirt and climbed into bed. I wasn't there for very long when Eric came upstairs.

"The dogs are all set?" I turned onto my side.

"Yup. We are cleared to snuggle," he smiled. He pulled off his sweater vest and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Good. I've missed puke-free snuggles."

"Me too."

"Did I tell you that your Mom called me yesterday while you were at the store?" I asked. I couldn't remember since I was so in and out of it the day before.

"No. Why did she call?" he asked, and threw his dirty clothes into the hamper.

"She found out my from my Mom that I was sick with the stomach flu and she called to make sure I wasn't pregnant and trying to hide it," I chuckled. It was typical Angela.

"Oh Jesus," he muttered. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. I thought about telling her I was just to mess with her, but decided that was probably a bad idea... not to mention really mean. Needless to say, she was disappointed when I told her it was just a bug I'd picked up somewhere."

"I'll tell her to mind her own business," he said, and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"That's probably a good idea. She asked when we were going to start trying," I said and he appeared in the doorway with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. "I didn't give her an answer."

"I can't believe her!" he said, spitting toothpaste everywhere.

"It's not worth getting upset about, Eric. She's just... she's Angela."

"I know," he started, but held up a finger and then went back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth out. When he came back he started right up again. "But she shouldn't just think it's okay to ask you things like that."

"If you want to talk to her about it, go ahead. I won't stop you."

"I will." He turned off the light, and climbed into bed with me.

"Her heart's in the right place," I moved closer to him.

"Yeah, it is," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "I just wish she'd have more tact. We'll tell her when we're good and ready to tell her."

"How pissed would she be if she ended up being the last one to know?" I laughed at the thought of everyone finding out before her that Eric and I were pregnant.

"She might stop talking to us for thirty minutes or so," he chuckled.

"What a quiet thirty minutes though, huh?" I rested my head on his chest.

"I don't know, they might be filled with your mother talking instead."

"Maybe, but my Mom isn't so pushy about me having a kid. Although who knows once she finds out there's a bun in the oven."

So much for not talking about having kids.

"I kind of can't wait for us to get pregnant just so we can have fun fucking with our parents."

"Yeah we can start laying down all these crazy rules for them about spoiling the kids so they can't do it," I snickered. "Your poor mother will lose her mind."

"Yes," he laughed. "It will be so hilarious too. And we can give them ridiculous names. Like Ne-ne instead of Nana."

"Genius!" I laughed along with him.

"Now if only we could fast-forward time."

"We'll get there," I sighed and snuggled against him.

"I know, and I'm looking forward to all the practice we get to have before then," he said, and then yawned.

"You _are_ good at the practice," I agreed.

It had been almost a week since we'd had sex last. Wow.

"I am _very _good at the practice."

"I miss practice," I sighed.

"We can practice again as soon as you're feeling 110%."

"Yeah," I draped my arm over his chest.

The next day was Saturday. I planned on keeping up with our new Saturday morning tradition. He didn't know that, but he would in a few hours.

"Night Eric. Love you," I whispered and squeezed him a little.

"Love you back," he said.

* * *

><p><strong>So that was a fun chapter. When I first came up with the idea of Sookie having a pregnancy scare I asked Scribe if she thought it was cheesy, but I think the way we ended up writing it side stepped the cheese factor. Don't worry, that wasn't a false negative Sookie got in the doctor's office either. Sometimes people just get sick. The important thing is that these two can have serious conversations while somehow still being silly with each other, and the living together thing is working out just fine. It's kinda scary how happy they are right now. How much drama can we possibly pack into the remaining 3 chapters? Guess you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	35. Float On

Chapter 35: Float On

"_Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands, good news will work its way to all them plans. We both got fired on the exactly the same day. Well we'll float on good news is on the way. And we'll all float on ok." –Modest Mouse_

Job searching absolutely fucking sucked.

I forgot how long it could take to find a job that felt like the right fit. I got myself registered on unemployment in the meantime, and for the moment it was actually to our advantage that Eric and I weren't married. It might sound a little crazy, but the fact that he was sitting on the amount of money he was never even entered my mind. I didn't give any thought to the fact that I could probably never work again and we would still be just fine. Until we were married or had a child I was determined to pull my own weight.

Every day I was on the internet checking the job boards to see what had gone up, and anything that looked remotely appealing I responded to. I got a couple of callbacks and went on a few interviews, but so far there was nothing that was screaming at me. I was willing to take my time, even if that meant my unemployment benefits got cut for it. Taking the first job that was offered to me just because it was there was a bad idea.

I'd been offered a job that was all the way out in Naperville, and while it seemed like a nice company once I factored in the travel time, gas costs, etc. I knew I would more than likely end up losing money on the job since it was a salaried position. My prospective new employer had informed me that overtime would more than likely be necessary more often than not, which I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to, but then I didn't want to spend a minimum of two hours a day in the car on top of that. And for what worked out to be slave wages. No thanks.

A week after that I had been called in for a second interview at a dentist's office in Arlington Heights. That job didn't pay very well either, but it was closer to home and the benefits were pretty good. I'd met with the with wife half of a married couple who were both dentists and practiced together. Sarah Newlin was a nice lady who was sweet as banana pudding and had a bright, gleaming smile that would blind you if you weren't careful. I liked her a lot.

Then I met her husband, Steve, and all that possibility went right down the shitter. Steve was rude, boorish and demeaning to his wife. He openly insulted her right in front of me, and when I admitted to having no experience working in a dental office, he began insulting _me_. I nearly slapped the little troll before storming out of the office. When I told Eric about it he looked like he was going to go kick Steve Newlin's ass, but it wasn't worth it. Needless to say, I didn't take the job.

In between job interviews there was listing my condo to get that back on the market. Not having to pay a mortgage and association fees every month would go a long way to lighten the load on my shoulders. So far I hadn't chipped in much at Eric's house. He'd tried to tell me I didn't have to pay any of the bills until I sold my condo, but I wasn't having it. Since I had turned off the electricity and the cable over at my condo, I felt the least I could do was pick up those expenses at the new house.

We were still working out the financial situation, but the decision to open a joint checking account went a long way to mending those fences. Rather than adding him to mine, or him adding me to his, we decided to start something new that would be _ours_. For the meantime we were toying with the notion of a fixed amount going into the joint account for the monthly expenses, another amount going into our separate accounts to do with whatever we wanted, and then a third amount would go into a joint savings account.

I decided I would let Eric figure all that out since he was much better with money than I was. He took the figures to the accountant he worked with for the bar, and after a little tweaking, everything looked good. Now I just needed to come up with my end of things. That seemed to be the biggest problem, and it was pissing me off.

Eric made little jokes about what a good hausfrau I was, and at first I would laugh about it. I mean his house was sparkling clean, Fang was pretty well trained since I had time to work with her on all her commands, the laundry was always done, dinner was always ready when he came home from work... it was a pretty good life from where he was sitting. I didn't mind doing all those things, but it didn't feel like it was enough for me. Whenever I had downtime during the day I felt like a deadbeat.

Before I knew it almost three months had passed and I was starting to feeling like I was banging my head up against a brick wall. I'd been on a number of interviews and had been offered three jobs. I had turned all three jobs down for one reason or another. It was a week before Thanksgiving when I was called for another interview at a manufacturing company that made airplane and automotive parts in Elk Grove. It was a family owned business with a small office. The majority of the workers were down in the plant.

The interview was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, and before Eric went off to work he wished me good luck. I'd been a little on the withdrawn side for the last week or two and since I was feeling down I wasn't really in the sexiest of moods. It probably wasn't fair but Eric was paying the price for that, so I knew he was hoping for good news if for no other reason than it meant he would be getting laid again. I knew that wasn't the _only_ reason he was thinking good thoughts for me, but the lack of sex was definitely a factor.

So that morning I got myself dressed up, fixed my hair, put on my makeup and made sure I was ready to go long before I actually needed to leave the house. If it took more than a half an hour to get to Elk Grove I would be shocked. On my way to the company I was interviewing at I stopped at Starbucks and got myself a coffee. In my head I rehearsed the things I would say at the interview. I was no stranger to how it would go down, or what sort of questions I would be asked, but I was careful not to rehearse it too much.

I pulled into the parking lot of the enormous white building fifteen minutes before my interview was set to start. After taking a few deep breaths I got out of the car and went inside. The receptionist's desk was upstairs where the office was. Downstairs was offices for the foremen and maintenance crew. I climbed the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and rang the little doorbell to be buzzed into the office.

I was too busy looking out the window onto Oakton Street down below to see who had buzzed me into the office. When the door released from its magnetic lock, I pulled it open and it was only then that I saw who the receptionist was. I stopped in my tracks when the familiar deep brown eyes of Alcide's new wife were staring back at me.

Fuck. My. Life.

"Sookie," Maria Starr smiled warmly at me, which I thought was strange.

"Hello, Maria Starr," I said politely.

Well this was fucking awkward.

"I didn't know you worked here," I tried not to sound flustered.

"For five years now," she continued to smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I uh, I have an interview with Tom," I took a few more steps inside.

"For the HR director's job?" her smile got inexplicably brighter.

"Yes," I shuffled up to her desk.

"Oh good! I think you'd fit in really well here," Maria Starr grabbed a clipboard and handed it to me. "If you could just take a seat over there and fill this out, I'll let Tom know that you're here."

I looked over to a little cluster of chairs off to the side and said, "Yeah, sure."

"Great. Good luck," she said genuinely.

Okay. What the fuck?

"Thanks," I mumbled and went over to the chairs to sit down and fill out the application I had been given.

Maria Starr went about answering phone calls, signing for packages and laughing with co-workers. I heard her tell Tom that I had arrived and was filling out the necessary preliminary paperwork. I tried to focus on the papers in front of me, but Maria Starr's presence was throwing me off. Why the hell was she being so nice to me? I was her husband's ex-girlfriend. She had been witness to her husband making passes at me, and she had to know Alcide's broken nose was a result of being clocked by my current boyfriend.

When I finished filling out the application I brought it back to her desk.

"Here you go," I said as cheerfully as I could.

"Oh good," Maria Starr smiled and looked it over to make sure I had filled everything out. "So, how've you been?"

Awkward fucking turtle.

"Aside from job searching, I've been good. How about you?"

The smile never left her face when she said, "I left Alcide."

Say what?

"You did?" I was surprised by that, although I probably shouldn't have been.

I mean, the guy flirted with me openly in front of his wife and his family. What kind of an arrogant douchetard does something like that? The whole thing had made me question what it was I had ever seen in Alcide to begin with, not to mention Maria Starr's self-esteem if she was willing to put up with horse shit like that.

"I saw the way he looked at you. Even before Landon was born, after that day in Babies 'R Us, I knew things had changed for him. He never got over you, and I was fool enough when I married him to think that if he had enough time that he would change. I deserve better than that, and so does our son," Maria Starr said and I couldn't agree more.

"Yes, you do. I'm sorry if I-"

"You didn't do anything, Sookie," Maria Starr smiled at me, but there was sadness in her sparkling dark eyes. "I knew the man I was marrying and I decided to look the other way because I wanted to believe that someday he would love me the way he loves you. That's just never going to happen, and I refuse to let my son grow up with two parents who don't really love each other like they should. This is for the best."

Wow.

"Sookie?" A man's voice got my attention and I turned to see a man about Eric's height with dark hair and gray eyes holding his hand out to me.

"Yes. You must be Tom," I reached out and shook his hand.

"I'm glad you could make it in today. Come on back," Tom said and then thanked Maria Starr. "So, did you have any trouble finding us?"

"Nope, I'm pretty familiar with the area," I tried not to sound too distracted as I followed Tom through the office.

"Glad to hear it. Before we get started can I get you some coffee, tea or water?" Tom offered as he led me to a room that I assumed was his personal office.

"Oh, uh, no thanks," I smiled and sat down across from his desk.

"Great. Let's get started then," he said and closed the door.

**oOoOoOo**

The interview went well—very, _very_ well. It went so well, in fact, that I left with a job offer. The money was more than acceptable, even if it was a salaried position. The travel time to get to and from work would be next to nothing. I would have the capability to work from home when I needed to, which meant when there was nasty weather outside I wouldn't have to go out in it to get my work done. With winter rapidly approaching, I was very excited about that prospect.

The only thing that prevented me from taking the job on the spot was the fact that Maria Starr was the receptionist, and if I took the job it would mean she was reporting directly to me. How fucking weird would that be? Considering the little bit of personal history we had, how big of a kick in the teeth would that feel like to her? First she lost her husband because of me, and now she would have to see a reminder every day of why her marriage failed.

I felt guilty about it even though it wasn't my fault. Maria Starr didn't seem to have any resentment toward me, which I was amazed by. I'd definitely held resentment toward Debbie Pelt for putting Alcide in the mindset that he never wanted to get married again, but over time I had come to realize that probably wasn't all her fault. I had been so in love with Alcide that I had been willing to believe that things didn't work out in his first marriage because Debbie was just a psychotic bitch like he said she was.

Now that I had some distance and a bigger picture of the person Alcide really was, I had to wonder how much of that was true. He had told me they got married in the first place because she had faked a pregnancy to trap him. Maybe that was true and maybe it wasn't; I would never know one way or the other. What I did know was that Alcide had a tendency to run from responsibility. As I was driving home it dawned on me that Alcide was more commitmentphobic than Eric had ever been.

For the first time since I started to fall for him way back when I was just fifteen-years-old, I was thankful that Alcide had been so skittish about marrying me. I loved him, once upon a time, and in spite of all the things he had done to hurt me there would always be a part of me that cared about him, but I was grateful I had never married him. It would have been a nightmare.

For the first time in a while, I felt better about life. I couldn't help but feel like I had dodged a bullet where Alcide was concerned, and if I took the job I had just been offered everything would be back on track. But did I want to spend my days working in such close proximity to Alcide's soon to be ex-wife? I headed to the bar to talk things over with Eric. His advice was something I needed at the moment because I knew he could help me put things into perspective.

It was just my luck that he was walking out to his car when I pulled into the parking lot. I came to a stop next to his car and put down my passenger's side window so I could talk to him.

"How'd it go?" he asked once his window was down.

"Very well," I grinned and he smiled back at me.

"Want to go in for a drink and talk about it?" Eric offered.

I thought about it for a moment and said, "Nah, let's go home."

"Sounds good," he nodded and started putting his window up again.

I put the passenger window up and backed out of my parking space to follow Eric home. Less than ten minutes later we were pulling into the driveway and the sound of Fang barking in excitement that we were home filled my ears. I wouldn't be surprised if she piddled a little bit in her excitement. That happened sometimes when we came home. It was actually kind of cute until one of us had to clean it up.

"I want to tell you everything, but first tell me about your day," I said as we walked through the garage to the house.

As expected, Fang was jumping all over Eric the second he opened the door. Sully was a little more subdued, and waiting in the doorway that connected to the hall.

"It was pretty normal," he said. "Nothing exciting happened. Pam hired a new waitress to replace whats-her-name that quit yesterday, I did paperwork and signed purchase orders. Pretty boring stuff. Oh, and Laff is working on a new dish for the menu and let me try it. That man is a genius. Remind me to give him a raise and a big bonus for Christmas this year."

"I will," I knelt down and scratched Fang between her ears. I was trying not to pick her up anymore. She was still small enough, but she wouldn't be soon. "Sounds like you had a good day."

"Just the food Laff gave me," he said, patting his stomach. "That was the best part. Until I saw you of course."

"Were you talking to me, or Fang?" I smirked.

"You, of course," he smiled, and gave me a kiss.

"Okay, so do you want the good news, or the weird news first?" I asked as I kicked off my heels and walked over to the couch.

"Good news, then the weird news," he said, and came over to sit next to me.

"Okay, so the good news is that the interview went better than any other interview I've ever been on, and they offered me a job," I grinned.

"That's great!"

"Yes, it is, and I'm seriously considering it but there's a potential problem, which is where the weird news comes in. It turns out that the receptionist at this place is Maria Starr," I revealed.

"Oh," his smile faded. "Was that awkward?"

"To put it nicely. She was really nice to me, though. And guess what?" I couldn't stop myself from grinning about what I was going to tell him.

"What?"

"She left Alcide."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Swear to God. Apparently the camping trip was the last straw between them, and she was fed up with his bullshit."

"Wow. I gotta say, I have a new respect for her."

"Right? I thought the same thing! I don't know how she didn't leave him while we were in Michigan. Hell, even before that. She said she knew when she married him that he still had feelings for me but she married him anyway because she thought he would change. That I don't understand," I shook my head.

"What the fuck? He had to have told her about you then. What a douche canoe."

"I assume she knew about me, but whatever," I shrugged. "So now I don't know if I should take the job. My gut says it's the right move, but then I'd feel bad for being there every day. Isn't it like rubbing salt in a wound?"

"It sounds to me like she's the one that made the wound, not him. I mean, if he left her it would be different, but she knows what was wrong in that relationship. As long as she doesn't blame you, I don't see a problem."

I thought it over for a minute and then said, "You're right. I know it's not my fault this happened, but just... it's awkward, you know? I mean, I wouldn't want to work with Isabel every day if I found out you still had feelings for her. Which I know you don't." I made sure to add that last part quickly.

He smiled. "Maybe you should talk to her about it? I don't want you to pass up an opportunity just because things might be awkward at first. Who knows, maybe she could turn out to be really cool."

"Good point. She seems really nice, and I can certainly understand what it's like to be in her shoes, at least to some extent. Maybe I'll call her at the office tomorrow and see if she wants to meet for coffee, or lunch or something," I suggested.

"I think that's the wise, mature thing to do," he said, and stretched out on the couch with his head in my lap and his feet propped up on the armrest. "I hope it works out."

"Me too. From all I can tell it would be a great opportunity, and I've never worked for a smaller company. The perks of it are pretty great and it's closer to home than my old job. I feel like I would be a fool not to take it," I said as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Then do whatever you can to make sure you have a really really good reason not to take it. And it has to be better than the awkward turtle."

I chuckled and lifted his hand to kiss the back of it. "I love you, you know that?"

"Oh stop," he sighed and feigned a bashful blush.

"Thank you for listening, and for putting up with my crabby ass the last couple of weeks."

"Ehh, you do things like that for people you love."

"Yeah, but I still appreciate it."

"And I appreciate you," he smiled.

"I know you do," I smiled down at him.

"I just want you to be happy," he said. "If I didn't, I'd have chained you to the house by now."

I lifted an eyebrow and asked, "And what would you have me do if I was chained to the house all day?"

"What you've been doing," he said. "I love it, but I know it doesn't make you happy."

"So someday in the future you'd be happier if I stayed home?" I asked.

"No, because if you're not happy, I'm not happy. I don't care if you work, or stay home. It's up to you."

Good answer.

"Well, we're still a ways off from having to worry about that anyway. I would only stay home if we had a kid."

"Do you want to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Be a stay at home mom."

"Yeah, I do. My Mom stayed home with Jason and me when we were little, and I always told myself if I was in a position to be able to do that, then that was what I wanted to do. So if that's something we can work out, I think it's better for everyone involved. I don't like the idea of my kids coming home to an empty house, or being raised by strangers."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I just didn't want to be the one to suggest it."

"No, I'm on board with that."

"Good."

I started to move out from under him and said, "So I need to get out of these clothes. Any chance you want to help me with that?"

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes going wide for a second.

"Yep," I unzipped my skirt as I walked toward the stairs, "but if you're not interested I won't be offended."

"I'm interested," he said, and jumped off the couch.

My skirt fell around my feet and revealed the garters I was wearing underneath.

"Did I forget to tell you I was wearing these?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Fuck, Sookie. It's been too long for you to bust out garters on me."

"Then I guess you should take them off," I said and ran up the stairs.

He ran after me, and caught me just in time to tackle me onto the bed. "I fucking love you."

"Ah! I love you too," I laughed as he buried his face in the hollow of my neck.

Eric didn't bother with the buttons on my shirt, and instead just ripped it open.

"Eric!" I gasped. I liked that shirt, dammit!

"They're just buttons, sweetheart. They can be replaced," he insisted and pulled my shirt off of me. He stared down at my breasts with a look of longing on his face. "I missed these," he said as he palmed them, and then pushed the cups of my bra out of the way. "Hello, old friends," he said with a smile and then his face was buried between them.

I couldn't help laughing. He was so adorkable when it came to my boobs. I could only hope he would feel the same way after I popped out a couple of kids and they were closer to my waist than they were my armpits. Eric took his sweet time getting reacquainted with his besties, and then stood up to take off his own clothes.

"Turn over, Sookie," he said in a gravelly voice that made my lady business go a little haywire, and I couldn't seem to turn over fast enough.

Eric worked the hooks on my bra and I pulled the contraption off for him. It went flying through the air and since Eric was in the process of tugging my panties down as much as he could with those garters on I wasn't really paying attention to where it landed. Not that it mattered anyway. He growled behind me and cupped his hands over my bare ass.

"You're wet for me already," he said and then I felt his teeth on one of my ass cheeks.

"I was plotting," I smiled and then moaned when he kissed my lower lips.

"Minx," he said against my glistening skin.

His grip on my ass got a little tighter and his tongue parted my folds to dip inside me. He grunted and growled behind me, making all those sexy little noises that made me dripping wet for him. Thankfully he didn't seem to be in much of a teasing mood, but almost two weeks without sex would do that to him when he was used to getting it every day.

His cock moved up and down my slit, gathering my juices and then he pushed into me with one strong, fluid stroke that made me grasp the comforter. Eric held my hips while he pulled back, and then pushed deep inside me again. His strokes were slow but deep, and the grip he had on me was sure to leave little finger bruises on my hips. I looked over my shoulder to see him staring down at my ass, watching himself disappear inside me over and over.

"Fuck, I missed this," he groaned and started to move a little faster.

I backed up to meet his thrusts as best I could, and reached down to rub my clit when I felt myself getting close. Eric leaned over and nibbled on my ear and neck, sucking a little on the spot that drove me crazy. He whispered sweet and dirty things in my ear that were hard to hear over the sound of his hips slapping against my ass as he pounded into me, but it felt amazing.

I came suddenly, crying out Eric's name as I did. He moved a little faster and then released inside me with one of those deep, guttural growls that made my lady business twitch. Eric kissed along my spine until he got to my neck. I turned my head and his lips met mine. He pulled out of me slowly, and even though I didn't want to move, I couldn't stay bent over the mattress like I was. Lucky for me I had a boyfriend that knew my legs had a tendency to stop working after an orgasm, so he shifted me entirely onto the bed.

"Thanks, baby," I said with a lazy smile and closed eyes. I'm sure I looked a hot mess, but I was too blissed out to care.

Eric climbed onto the bed and pulled me closer to him, wrapping me tightly in his arms and kissing my forehead.

"I want to do that again, but I need a nap first," I said sleepily.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll find a fun way to wake you up," he promised, and I had no doubt he would keep it.

**oOoOoOo**

The next morning I waited until a respectable time and then called Maria Starr at the office to see if she would be interested in meeting up with me. If I was going to take the job, I wanted to make sure the air was clear between us first. There was no point in accepting the job if there was going to be a problem between us. I didn't want to end up miserable there and feel like I had no other choice but to quit just because she and I couldn't get along.

"Good morning, O'Leary Manufacturing how can I help you?" Maria Starr greeted in her pleasant tone.

"Maria Starr, this is Sookie," I said and tried not to sound nervous.

"Oh hi there. Tom's in a meeting but I can give you his voicemail if you'd like," she offered.

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary. I was actually calling to talk to you," I said.

"Oh," she seemed surprised. I didn't blame her.

"Yeah, I was uh, I was wondering if you would be able to meet me for coffee or lunch today?" I squeezed my eyes closed and prayed she would.

"Umm... yeah, sure," she didn't sound sure.

"Look, I know it's weird, but there's something I would like to discuss with you. You can totally pick the place if that will make you feel more comfortable," I offered.

"Uh, okay, how about Moretti's? Do you know where that is?"

"I don't think so," I admitted and scrambled to find a pen to write the address down with.

"It's just off the corner of Busse and Algonquin. From the office if you turn left onto Busse it'll be on the right side of the street," she told me.

"Oh, okay, that's easy enough to find. What time?"

"1:00 is best for me."

"Great. That's great. So I'll see you at 1:00 then?"

"Yep, gotta run. The other lines are ringing," she said and hung up.

With my lunch date set I went and got in the shower so I would be ready to go on time. Thankfully Eric had already gone off to the bar so I was in and out of the shower quickly. We had spent plenty of time the night before making up for the dry spell we'd had, so no doubt he was in a better mood when he walked into work. After my shower I towel dried my hair and added a little gel to it so it would dry curly. I didn't put on much makeup either.

I waited until the last minute to get dressed so I wouldn't be covered in puppy fur before I left the house, and Fang whimpered and cried as she followed me to the door. Eric spoiled her rotten when he was home, taking her pretty much everywhere he went. He had, however, agreed that letting Fang get comfy on the furniture was a bad idea. Breaking her of the habit would be harder than letting her get used to it, so I figured it was just better all the way around.

I got to the restaurant a few minutes early and went inside to see if Maria Starr was waiting for me. I didn't want to keep her any longer than I had too since I assumed it was her lunch hour she was meeting me on. I took a table in the bar area so she would see me when she walked in, and I had just ordered a Diet Coke when she came in. I waved in her direction and came game over to sit across from me after slinging her coat over the back of her chair. She looked exhausted.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized.

"No big deal. I'm glad you could make it," I smiled at her.

"Can I get you something to drink?" The waitress asked her when she set down my soda.

"Ice tea, extra lemon?" Maria Starr asked and the waitress nodded. "Ugh, Landon is going through a growth spurt and teething at the same time. He screamed his little head off for three hours last night."

"Ouch," I said with sympathy.

"You don't have kids, do you?"

"No, not yet. Eric and I have talked about it. It's more than likely in the cards for us, but we're just not at that point yet."

"Well, take your time. Trust me when I tell you, your life will never be the same," she sighed.

The waitress came back with the iced tea and after a quick perusal of the menu, both of us ordered variations on chicken salads. I'd had all morning to think about what I was going to say, but the words were hiding from me.

"So," Maria Starr started, "I'll admit I was surprised when you called."

I smiled and said, "Yeah, I thought maybe this conversation was necessary. I know I'm not directly at fault for what happened with you and Alcide, but I can't help feeling a little bit responsible for it. Believe it or not, I really am sorry that things didn't work out for you two. Things with Alcide and me didn't end well, but that doesn't mean I wish bad things for him. And I don't know you, but you seem like a really nice person. I'm sorry he was just as big of a buttface to you as he was to me."

Maria Starr chuckled and said, "There's a name I haven't called him yet. You don't need to feel guilty for any of this, Sookie. You have obviously moved on and don't have any intention of getting back together with Alcide, so I can't blame you for any of this."

"No offense, but I wouldn't go back to Alcide if someone paid me ten million dollars and he belly crawled on broken glass to get to me," I told her.

"He told me about you before we got married, but he didn't tell me everything. I figured you were just another ex-girlfriend. It wasn't until after we were married that I found out just how serious you two were. By then it was too late, and a couple of months later I was pregnant with Landon. I love my son so I can't say I regret marrying Alcide, but I wish he would have been honest with me. He made it sound like you kept pushing him to marry you," she revealed and my jaw dropped.

"That son of a… Did he mention that we were together for… no, it doesn't matter," I shook my head.

"It _does_ matter," Maria Starr said bitterly, but I didn't think those emotions were aimed at me. "He let me think that he was a victim, that I had no reason to hesitate to give him my heart. I fell in love with him thinking that we had a real chance at being together for the rest of our lives. Then he runs into you by chance one day and all of that goes out the window. Really, I can't blame him in a lot of ways. You're beautiful and you seem like a good person. You've been kind to me, instead of looking at me like the bitch who took your place."

I smiled at that and admitted, "When he first told me he was married, I hated you."

Maria Starr laughed and said, "I can't really blame you for that either, I suppose. I tried to put myself in your shoes and see things through your eyes, and I can't imagine what it must be like to be where you are."

"I'm fine, Maria Starr," I said but she shook her head.

"If that were true, you wouldn't feel guilty," she pointed out. "But that's neither here nor there. The point is, I don't hold any of this against you. Blaming you for the problems in my marriage would be the easy thing to do and it wouldn't solve a damn thing. At the end of the day, you're not responsible for Alcide's behavior, and you didn't make any of my choices for me."

I nodded, knowing she was right.

"The reason I wanted to see you today is because Tom offered me the job," I said just as the waitress brought out our salads and put them down in front of us.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked cheerfully. Maria Starr and I shook our heads and she sauntered off to another table.

"I know; I heard Tom talking to the other Tom yesterday afternoon," Maria Starr told me.

"I'm seriously considering taking the job, but I wanted to be sure that if I did there wasn't going to be a problem," I said tentatively while she dressed her salad.

"I'm a big girl, Sookie. I'm mature enough to keep my work life and my home life separate," she said but didn't sound offended.

"Yes, but by me being there it sort of forces the two to bleed together," I pointed out.

Maria Starr took a bite of her salad, chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed. She took a drink of her tea and said, "I'd like to get to know you better, believe it or not. Everything I've heard about you tells me that we could probably be good friends, but if that's going to be awkward for _you_, then I understand."

I thought about it for a moment and came to the conclusion that as long as we had cleared the air between us there shouldn't be any reason why we couldn't work together. I took a bite of my salad, while Maria Starr had really dug into hers. Then again, she had to get back to the office. We ate quietly for a while, but I was the one to break the silence.

"I think it would be okay working together," I said and she nodded.

"I think you're right," she agreed.

I needed to call Tom and tell him I was going to take the job.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was a fun one to write since it got Sookie back on a path, and moving forward in her life. There was some debate, initially, over what to do with the Maria Starr issue. When I first talked to Scribe about it I was going to have Sookie pass on the job, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it would really be a big step for her to take it. The next chapter is the last regular, and then we get the epilogue on Monday. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	36. Time in a Bottle

Chapter 36: Time in a Bottle

"_I've looked around enough to know that you're the one I want to go through time with. If I had a box just for wishes and dreams that had never come true the box would be empty, except for the memory of how they were answered by you." –Jim Croce_

It turned out that taking the job was a great choice. Maria Starr and I had become good friends in the last three months that I had been working there. Eric and I sailed through the holidays together, and a handful of snow days. Before either of us knew it, we'd surpassed our first anniversary and we were steadily moving toward Spring. I, for one, was elated to be able to open all the windows on the first warm day of the year the first week of March.

Eric was excited, if only because it meant sundress season would soon be upon us, and there were few things Eric loved more than me wearing a short skirt. Of course, nudity was preferable, but not advisable for public appearances.

All in all, things were going very well. My condo sold at the beginning of February, much to my surprise and delight. I was able to settle things with the mortgage company and all of that weight was officially off my shoulders. It was nice to feel like I was finally settled in with Eric. We worked out the financial stuff, and carried on with the plans we'd made for all the different accounting things.

"Eric, will you please get this dog out of here?" I shouted when Fang came skittering around the corner again while I was trying to mop the kitchen floor. Our parents were coming over for dinner later that night and I was in the middle of cleaning the house.

"Fang," Eric hollered from the living room, where I had him dusting, and she took off. She would do anything for Eric. "Sorry, Sook!"

"I'd tell you to put them out in the yard, but then they'll just track in mud when we bring them inside," I sighed. I loved having the dogs, but damn they were messy. They were worse than me. Living with Eric had been a bad influence on me. I cleaned regularly.

Angela said I was nesting.

Eric came around the corner and poked his head in the kitchen. "Want me to stash them upstairs in the office until the floors are dry?"

"Good idea," I smiled over at him.

Eric winked at me, and then turned to corral the dogs upstairs. I set the mop aside and went to the living room to turn some music on. Cleaning always went quicker when I had music on. Peter Frampton came pouring out of the speakers and I sang under my breath as I walked back to the kitchen to finish mopping the floor. I was contemplating cleaning the oven, but decided it would be better to do that _after_ the dinner party was done with.

When Eric came back downstairs I grabbed my grocery list off the fridge and took it to him in the living room. "Will you please run to the store and pick this stuff up for me? I would go but I look like shit and I don't want to shower until I have all the cleaning and food prep done."

"Sure, sweetheart," he smiled and gave me a kiss. "And you don't look like shit."

"Yes I do," I argued. "You're just saying that because I'm running around here in my underwear."

It wasn't exactly my underwear, but a tank top and boy shorts was close enough.

"Perhaps," he grinned, and grabbed his keys. "I'll be back."

"Thank you," I smiled and went back to cleaning the kitchen.

When I was done there I started on the front room that we almost never used. The dogs spent more time in there because of the sun exposure during the day so it was warmer. I set the dining room table and hauled a cooler up from the basement to put drinks in outside on the deck so there would be more room in the fridge. I folded napkins and pulled out the pots and pans I was going to need in order to start cooking.

I was in the kitchen, dancing around to some Black Keys song when Eric came home. I didn't hear the garage door since the music was so loud, and I only figured out he was there when I turned around suddenly to find him standing there watching me. I slipped on the clean floor and fell right on my ass.

"Shit, are you okay?" he laughed as he bent to help me up.

I laughed right along with him as I stood up. I rubbed my ass for a few seconds and said, "Ain't nothing hurt but my ego. Did you enjoy the show at least?"

"Up until you fell," he smiled. There was something about that smile though. He was hiding something.

"Did you find everything that was on the list?" I asked, deciding it was better not to pick at him. Eric would just pretend like I was seeing things, rather than spilling his guts.

"I did, and I uh... I found something else too," he said.

"Oh yeah? Want help bringing the groceries in?" I offered and started for the garage.

"Sookie," he said to stop me, and I turned around again. It took me a second to realize that he was holding something in his hand. A small black box.

"What's that?" I asked casually, my mind more set on getting everything crossed off my checklist for dinner than whatever it was he wanted to show me.

He took a step towards me, smiled, and got down on one knee. He opened the box, which held a beautiful diamond ring. "Sookie..."

"Whoa... what are you doing?" My heart was in my throat. I knew exactly what he was doing.

"I love you more than I ever imagined I'd be able to love anyone or anything. This last year of my life has been the happiest one, and that's because of you. I can't see myself as an old man anymore without an old you next to me," he said, and took my hand. "Sookie, will you marry me?"

I gasped and stared at my shaking hand. He held the ring poised to slip it on my finger and even though I wanted to say the word, my voice disappeared. I nodded as tears fell from my eyes. Eric slipped the ring onto my finger, quickly stood up, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me like he never wanted to stop.

"I love you so much," I finally said when I got my voice back.

"I love you too," he said. "Take good care of that ring. It's the one my dad gave my mom."

I looked down at it a little more closely than I had before. Beautiful didn't begin to describe it, and I felt honored that he gave it to me and told him so. "I know how much this means to you, and I'm happy that you gave it to me. Thank you."

"There's no one else in the world that could wear that ring," he said.

I nodded and tried to sniffle back my tears. His arms wrapped around me and I hugged him back. I sure hadn't seen that coming.

I pulled back a little and asked, "Did you plan that?"

"I've been carrying that ring around for a week and a half looking for the right moment, and I knew it was right when I saw you dancing around like a dork."

I burst out laughing and said, "What a story to tell our kids someday, huh? Daddy proposed to me after he caught me dancing in the kitchen like an idiot, and I fell on my ass."

"I think it's perfect," he grinned. "Now let's take bets."

"Bets on what?" I asked and wiped the tears off my face.

"Which one of our mothers notices first."

"I'm sure it'll be yours, and I'm willing to bet she follows it up with a question about whether she should be buying pink or blue stuff," I snickered.

"Probably," he chuckled. "But hey, this is about us."

"Yes it is," I agreed and hugged him tightly again. "I can't believe you asked me to marry you."

"Why not?"

"I don't know... I mean, I know we talked about it, and I know it's something that's sort of been looming over us but I guess there was a part of me that would have been happy to just be with you the way we have been for the rest of our lives if you never felt ready for marriage. Being with you is what's important."

"And that's why I asked. You're the girl that's willing to change as much as I did, and not because I asked you to."

"I would do pretty much anything for you," I pushed myself up onto my toes and kissed him. "You know what I'm wondering right now?"

"What?" he asked.

I grinned at him and said, "Whether sex with my fiance is as good as sex with my boyfriend."

"This is an experiment I can get behind," he smiled, and picked me up by my ass.

We didn't even make it up the stairs. After being pressed against a series of walls while we kissed and I took off my tank top, a few too many rocks of my hips against his erection was enough for Eric to put me down on the stairs. With a voracious growl, he tugged off my shorts and buried his face between my thighs. So far fiancé sex was better.

While he was going down on me he unzipped his pants and reached into them to pull his cock out. I could see him stroking himself while he fucked me with his tongue. His eyes were fixed on mine and his other hand made itself busy on one of my nipples, pinching and twisting it to make me writhe a little bit more. He kept at it until I came, all the while I was pleading with him to fuck me.

Eric kicked his jeans off and pulled his shirt off as well. I lurched forward and captured his cock with my lips, sucking and teasing the head of it while my hand stroked the rest until Eric forced my head back.

"I wasn't done yet," I pouted, but his mouth on mine erased that pout.

He lifted me up and carried me the rest of the way upstairs to finish what we started. Eric sat on the edge of the bed and I straddled him, reaching between us to keep stroking him.

"Fuck, Sookie, I need to be inside you," he groaned against my mouth.

I couldn't agree more.

My hips lifted and I put him at my entrance. Our eyes met and I slowly slid down his length until he was buried to the hilt inside me. My hands braced on his shoulders and his hands cupped my breasts as I started to rise and fall on top of him. I moved slowly at first, savoring the feeling of his cock filling me so perfectly.

Yes, he was definitely the best I'd ever had, and I would get to have him whenever I wanted for the rest of my life. I was a lucky, lucky girl.

Eric shifted us back on the bed and lay back. I braced my hands on his chest and stared down at the perfect ring sitting on my left ring finger. It was going to be there for the rest of my life, and I couldn't help smiling at the thought of it.

I stilled suddenly, breathing hard and just looked at Eric. He looked up at me, obviously confused as to why I had stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"I just want you to know that I'm really happy right now. This past year has been so much more than I ever thought it could be. You have surprised me every step of the way, and I love you so much for everything you've done for me. You make me laugh when I would rather stay in bed and hide. You don't run away from my crazy freak outs. I honestly don't think there is a future for me without you in it," I told him, and for a second I thought _he_ might cry.

Instead he pulled my face to his and kissed me again. Everything he felt for me was in that kiss, and when we rolled over his hands joined with mine. His hips moved slowly and my legs wrapped around his, crossing just under that amazing ass of his. When he let go of my hands, his ass was the first place they went. I pulled him deeper inside me, and our eyes locked on one another.

Every moan, every sigh that passed between us felt like we were pulling from each other's lungs. It was slow, sweet and reverent, and just what we needed right then. That connection I felt to him tugged at my heart, and I couldn't help feeling like this was exactly where I was supposed to be. I was so insanely in love with him, and I knew then that I always would be.

"I love you, baby," I reached up to touch his cheek.

His lips pressed to mine, and then trailed down to my neck. I gasped and moaned, and my hips started to rise to meet his. A light sheen of sweat covered my skin, and when I hugged him to me it transferred to his. Eric hovered over me, his mouth close to my ear so I heard every ragged breath he took as we got closer and closer to our release. My nails scratched his back and my feet pushed him deeper inside me.

"Baby, I'm so close," I whimpered and nibbled his ear.

Eric started to move a little faster, grinding his pubic bone against my clit with every stroke. My orgasm was so close I could almost taste it but my body wouldn't let me have it quite yet.

"Harder, Eric," I whimpered thinking maybe that would do the trick.

He gave me what I asked for, and still my orgasm kept me teetering on the edge, unwilling to let me fall over the cliff. But then I felt Eric swell inside me, and without warning he lost control and came hard with my name tumbling from his lips. His hand moved between us immediately and rubbed against my clit. He would never leave me hanging, and he continued to thrust a little until he started to get soft.

Still, I didn't orgasm.

"Is something wrong?" he asked when I didn't come.

"No," I shook my head. I was into it. I wanted it.

He grinned and pulled out of me, and then rolled off of me to reach into my night stand. He produced the hitachi, which was guaranteed to get me off. We'd had a lot of fun with that thing since he'd given it to me for my birthday. The best night, of which, may have been when he tied me to the bed face down and stuffed a pillow under my hips. He'd put the wand under me so it was constantly pressed against my clit, and then he proceeded to fuck me several different ways. The whole thing was like one enormous orgasm, and I hadn't been able to walk very well the next day but it was totally worth it.

Eric flipped the switch and pressed the hitachi to my clit. I was writhing within seconds, and when he slipped his fingers inside me to rub against my g-spot, I lost my mind. I screamed when I came, and barely had time to recover before I noticed Eric was stroking himself again.

"You're so fucking sexy when you come like that," he growled and set the hitachi aside.

He turned me over onto my stomach and lifted my hips just a little. He entered me a little more roughly than before and I grabbed into the slats in the headboard while he pounded into me from behind. It was obvious to me he was determined to make me come without the wand that was still buzzing away beside me. Eric was better about not being jealous of the toys we played with sometimes, but I knew he took it personally when I got off better with a toy than I did with him.

His hips slapped against my ass and his hand moved down to gather some of my juices on the tip of his thumb so he could press against my other opening. I moaned at the pressure of it, and cried out when he pushed his thumb in just a little bit. I let go of the slats on the bed and Eric pulled out of me long enough to turn us on our sides. He picked up my leg and entered me again. I turned my head to kiss him while he resumed pounding into me, and when his hand came around to rub my clit, my orgasm suddenly exploded.

He followed right behind me, filling me with his second release.

When I caught my breath again I said, "Good thing I was saving the laundry for last."

Eric chuckled against my neck and kept rubbing my clit, sending aftershock after aftershock through me. Apparently we weren't done yet.

"Good thing indeed," he said and then captured my lips in another one of those kisses that made my insides go all melty.

**oOoOoOo**

"Hands off, Northman," I batted Eric's hands away as I pulled clothes out of the closet. Our parents were supposed to be arriving in the next half hour.

"I can't wait until you're Mrs. Northman," he said against my neck.

"Me either, but there's no time for us to fool around," I tried to squirm away from him.

"Just one more quickie?" he asked.

"Eric..." I sighed when his hands started roaming. Dammit. He was going to get his way. "Don't mess up my hair."

"I won't," he promised, and picked me up to carry me to the dresser.

His kissed me hard and moved my panties out of the way to see how wet I was. I suppose it was to my advantage that I was still recovering from the shower sex, and therefore didn't need much in the way of preparation. Eric dropped his boxers, pulled my ass to the edge of the dresser and thrust into me. He grabbed my hands and put them up over my head and pinned them to the wall behind me.

I wouldn't call the coupling romantic, but it was sexy as hell. With his free hand he rubbed my clit and it didn't take long for either of us to finish. He let go of my hands and my arms wrapped around his neck while I kissed him.

"I hope you got that out of your system," I said against his lips.

"In more than one sense," he smiled.

"Ha. Ha. I'm happy to hear it because you're cut off until our parents leave later," I warned him.

"Fine by me," he grinned as he set himself back to rights. "I'm satisfied."

"Until that door closes later, I'm sure," I said and slipped off the dresser. I was going to have to change my underwear.

"As soon as they're gone, you're mine again. We have to re-christen everything in the house now that we're engaged."

"You're insane," I giggled but didn't try to dissuade him either.

"And you agreed to marry me," he said, unable to stop smiling.

"I guess that makes me crazy too," I smiled at him in the reflection of the mirror above the dresser.

"Crazy isn't bad then if it means loving you for the rest of my life." He bent to kiss my shoulder.

"You're adorable," I turned my head and pecked his cheek. "And I say we start in the dining room after they all go home."

"That sounds perfect. I can't wait to fuck you on the table."

"You can't wait to fuck me anywhere," I snickered and opened the dresser drawer to find a new pair of underwear. "Would it be extremely poor taste if I didn't bother putting on panties?" I asked his reflection.

"Not to me."

I laughed but then closed the drawer without grabbing a pair. Eric growled at me as I walked past him to go clean up in the bathroom.

"Can we just have one more-"

"Not on your life!" I called back from the bathroom and just to make sure I didn't go caving in again, I shut the bathroom door.

Not that it would stop him if he was determined.

"They're here anyway," he hollered, and then the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

"Good! I'm still seven kinds of naked anyway!" I called out. "That'll definitely get Angela talking."

Eric opened the bathroom door quickly, and poked his head in. "I'll be sure to tell them that you'll be down as soon as you get un-naked."

"You're a brave man considering my father is probably carrying a loaded weapon," I reminded him.

"Huh, true," he said, and then the doorbell rang again. "Be quick, I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see your ring."

"Me either," I leaned over and kissed him and then he shut the door and went downstairs to let whoever had arrived into the house.

I got dressed quickly, and then went downstairs myself. It was just Angela, but that would be enough of a handful in a minute. In some ways I was relieved she was the first to arrive. Her reaction was guaranteed to be bigger than my parents', and I was glad we could get some of that out of the way before they showed up.

"Hey Angela," I went over to give her a hug when I came downstairs.

"Hello, darling," she said warmly as she embraced me. "You look well."

"Thank you, so do you. I love your sweater," I pulled back to admire the shade of blue it was. It was almost the same color as Eric's eyes.

"Thank you," she said, and looked down at it. That was when she spotted the newly acquired sparkle on my left hand. "Oh my goodness!"

"What?" I played dumb.

She picked up my hand and let out a noise that was indescribable. "He finally asked you! You're going to be my daughter!" She pulled me into her arms again and hugged me so tight I was having trouble breathing.

"Yes he did, and I will be if you let me breathe," I laughed and she immediately loosened her grip.

"Oh sweetie, I'm just so happy," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I know how he feels if he gave you that ring. I remember how I felt when his father gave it to me."

I looked over at Eric with a soft smile and said, "And I'm honored that Eric gave it to me. I know how important this ring is to both of you."

"It's on a good hand," she said, then turned to Eric and opened her arms. He smiled and gave his mother a hug that brought tears to my own eyes.

Eric looked at me over his mother's shoulder and I smiled a little bigger for him in the hope that I didn't ruin my makeup by crying. I cleared my throat and asked, "Can I get you something to drink, Angela?"

"Yes, dear, what do you have? Also, I'm assuming you won't be having any alcohol for a while, right?"

"Why would you assume that? And we have water, iced tea, diet Coke, wine and beer," I told her.

"I'll have wine, please," she said. "I was hoping perhaps this engagement would mean that you two are-"

"Mom," Eric said, cutting her off. "We're not pregnant yet, and when we are, we'll tell you, okay?"

Angela just huffed, and took a seat on one of the stools at the island. Eric rolled his eyes at her, and pulled the wine from the fridge.

"So, Angela, how are things at work?" I asked her while I checked on the food in the oven.

"Oh, they're the same as normal," she said. "What about you? Have you gotten settled in with your new job?"

"I have, as a matter of fact," I took the glass of wine Eric offered me. For his sake, I hoped my brain filter didn't go on the fritz. "It was a little awkward at first working with Alcide's estranged wife, but we've become pretty good friends. I think that pisses Alcide off, which makes me happy."

Immature? Probably, but the prick had it coming.

"Sounds to me like he did it to himself," she shrugged.

"Yes he did," I said and the doorbell rang again. "Must be Mom and Dad."

I set my wine glass down and went to the front door to let my parents in. They were dressed casually, thank goodness, and Dad appeared to have left his service revolver at home.

"Hey guys," I said and hugged them one by one.

"Hello sweetheart," Mom kissed my cheek and then stepped further into the house.

"Hey Daddy," I said and gave him a hug.

"Damn, baby girl, it smells good in here," he squeezed me as Eric appeared from the kitchen.

"Sookie's a great cook," Eric smiled.

"When I don't nearly burn down the kitchen," I said modestly.

In my defense, those instances were usually due to Eric's brand of distraction.

"That doesn't happen that often," Eric laughed.

"Did I ever tell you about the first time Sookie helped me make pancakes?" Mom asked and I turned beet red.

"Mom, you're evil," I said and slithered through the small crowd to escape to the kitchen where at least Angela would have my back against those jackals.

"It can't have been worse than the first time I tried to make an omelet," Eric said.

"I don't know about that. You know how you spit test a pan to make sure it's hot enough before you start cooking with it, right?" Mom asked and I cringed.

"You do?"

"Yeah, you know, just sprinkle a little water in the pan to make sure it sizzles," Mom said as they walked into the kitchen. She shot a sweet as pie smile in my direction and continued, "So I asked Sookie to spit test the pan, thinking she knew what I meant since she had helped me in the kitchen before. Instead she leans over the stove and spits in the pan."

I rolled my eyes while Eric grinned at me.

"To be fair, it being called a spit test would lead some to believe actual spit is used."

"Thank you!" I crossed the room and hugged Eric. "And in my defense, I was eight."

"Oh, honey, it's cute! I don't know why you get so bent out of-" Mom stopped when she saw my hand settle on Eric's chest, and it was obvious there was something new on my finger. She looked from my hand to my face to Eric's and back at my hand. "Corbett!" she shouted even though Daddy was right behind her.

"I'm right here, Shelly, no need to shout," Dad shook his head.

"Did you notice what's on your daughter's hand?" Mom asked without taking her eyes off the ring.

"The second we walked in. I was just waiting on you to see it," Dad smiled.

"When did this happen and why didn't you call me?" Mom demanded and then crossed the room to inspect the ring.

"This afternoon," I said but stopped myself from telling her I had been too busy banging the daylights out of my new fiance to think about calling anyone. "And we were busy getting ready for tonight. If we wouldn't have been having dinner together I would have called."

"Are you pregnant?" Mom demanded and stared at Eric when she asked.

"Mom!" I took my hand back, but it was Angela who answered for me.

"Oh don't even bother, Michelle," she said. "They'll tell us when they are."

Angela's tone was so Eeyore it was almost laughable.

"Well I'm glad I don't need to get the shotgun," Dad came over and kissed the side of my head. He extended his hand to Eric and said, "Welcome to the family."

"Thanks, Corbett," Eric smiled and shook his hand.

"Mom?" I urged when she said nothing.

She looked back and forth between Eric and me with a serious look on her face that I couldn't quite decipher before a smile finally plastered itself to her. "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed and pulled me into a hug.

I felt a huge sense of relief and hugged her back.

"Just promise me you won't make me fly to a foreign country for your wedding," she said quietly in my ear.

I laughed and said, "We haven't talked about any plans yet, Mom, but I can pretty much rule that out."

It would either be Vegas or Gran's backyard. Only time would tell.

**oOoOoOo**

The next day it was raining when my eyes opened, but my pretty new ring sparkled on my finger all the same. It was going to take some time to get used to it being there, but I liked that it was there. I liked it a lot. I stretched an arm out behind me, expecting to find Eric lying there next to me but the bed was empty.

The alarm clock on the night stand told me it was a little after ten, so I doubted I had been alone in bed for too long. I also doubted Eric had left the house. Damned if I wanted to get up to find him just yet. I was warm and comfortable right where I was.

My eyes closed again just as heavy footsteps started up the stairs, and moments later there was the distinct rattling of something on a tray. I opened my eyes to see Eric carrying a tray laden with food and he set it down on the dresser beside the bed.

"What's all this?" I smiled at him, wondering how long he'd been awake.

"Breakfast," he smiled back. "I have something for us to do today, and it's our first whole day as an engaged couple, so breakfast in bed sounded nice."

I forced myself to sit up against the headboard, and tucked the sheet over my chest to keep Eric from spilling everywhere. "I think you're probably right. How long did it take you to do all that?"

"Ehh, not long. I may have accidentally dropped two pieces of bacon on the floor though..."

"I'll let it slide this once," I shook my head. He was such a pushover when it came to the dogs begging. Resisting Sully had been hard enough, but he was total fail when it came to telling Fang no.

"Good," he smiled, and climbed into bed next to me.

"So what's on the agenda today?" I asked and dug into the pile of hashbrowns on my plate.

"There's a place I want to take you, and I'm not going to tell you where or why until we get there."

"I bet I could get it out of you if I got creative enough," I speared some of the eggs.

"Not for this," he said.

"Then it must be serious," I looked over at him. "Okay, I won't ask anymore questions."

"Good," he smiled.

"So... I had an idea..." I trailed off and bit into a piece of bacon.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe we could get married in Vegas like you said. Not tell anyone, just go and do it. Just you and me," I suggested, watching him nervously to see his reaction.

"You don't want your parents there?"

"I've thought a lot about it, and I decided that the only thing that matters about my wedding is that I'm with the right person at the alter. The rest doesn't matter," I told him.

"Honestly, I love the idea of it just being you and me, and I love the idea of Vegas, but I want you to be really, really sure. Our parents might get pissed about not getting to be there. And I don't want you to regret anything. If you want a wedding, we'll have one."

"I was thinking we'd get married there and then have a party here so it's not like it's totally hush-hush, but then we don't have to deal with all of the insanity that goes along with it either. I don't want to spend a year planning a wedding for everyone else when I know I'd be perfectly happy to sneak off with you somewhere and get it done quietly. Hell, we could get a justice of the peace to do it in a hot air balloon in Galena," I snickered at the idea.

"We will do whatever you want," he smiled. "And we'll figure it out when the time is right."

"Works for me. We don't have to figure it all out today."

"Whatever we do, it'll be perfect."

"Yes it will," I agreed and took another bite of my eggs. "Thank you for breakfast. This is delicious."

"You're welcome."

After breakfast I sent Eric to shower while I went downstairs to tidy up the kitchen. He tried to convince me that we needed to christen the shower all over again, but there would be time for that later. I wanted to get to whatever he had planned so we could come back home and take a nap. Dude wore me out the night before, and my time in the land of the conscious was definitely limited.

Within the next hour and a half we were both showered, dressed and ready to go. Eric was absolutely no help whatsoever when I asked him what I should wear. He simply shrugged and told me whatever I wanted would be fine. Of course on our way out the door he suggested I bring a jacket, which I appreciated if we were going to be outside. Like the gentleman he was, he opened the passenger's side door of his car for me to get in.

Fang had been heartbroken when she was told she couldn't come with. If there was one thing that dog loved, it was going for rides in the car. I swear she smiled whenever Eric mentioned it to her.

"Okay, so _now _do I get a hint where we're going?" I asked once we were on the road.

"To visit someone," he said. "And that's all you're getting."

"Ugh, fine," I faked being mad, but I was actually proud of him for sticking to his guns. Usually he would get all excited and blab his secret.

"You'll be fine," he said with a small smile, but kept his eyes on the road.

I reached over and let my hand rest on his leg. My head fell back against the seat and in no time I was drifting off to Lala Land. I had no idea which direction we were going, but I didn't really care. Being in the car was surprisingly soothing, and I was actually a little bummed when Eric woke me up.

"Sookie," he said gently. "We're here."

I groaned but opened my eyes. We were in a cemetery. I sat up quickly, looking around to try and figure out who we would be meeting in a graveyard.

"Uh..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I didn't even have a guess.

Eric took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I think it's about time you met my father."

Well hell. What was the right response to something like that? I nodded, and followed Eric out of the car. This was the closest I was ever going to get to being face to face with his Dad, and it was sweet of him to bring me along. We walked hand in hand until we finally stopped in front of his father's grave.

Eric let go on my hand, and settled on his knees in front of the headstone. "Hi, Dad," he said, completely comfortable talking to the headstone as if it were a person. I wondered how often he did this. "A lot's happened since the last time I came to talk. Sookie and I moved in together, and she got me the best dog ever as a birthday present. You'd have loved her. The dog, I mean. Well, Sookie too, but I've talked about that enough on my previous visits I think. I asked Sookie to marry me, using the ring you gave Mom. I think you'd be proud of the choice I made. She's wonderful, and she makes me happier than I've ever been. I brought her with me today so you could meet her."

He looked up at me and took my hand again. I wiped the tear that had fallen down my cheek and then took a step forward to kneel down beside Eric. He squeezed his palm to mine and I sat back on my heels.

"Hello, Mr. Northman," I said a little nervously. I wasn't used to talking to headstones. "I uh, I didn't know Eric was bringing me here today, but I'm glad he did. He's told me a lot about you. I'm sorry this is the only way we'll ever meet. You should know you have a good man here. I'm sure you didn't get as much time with him as you wanted to," I looked over at Eric, who was hanging his head a little, "but you definitely left an impression on him. I know he misses you every day..."

I had to stop talking because even though Eric was silent, I could feel his sadness. This wasn't the way he wanted me to meet his father, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Eric looked at me, wiping a stray tear from his eye. "I wish he was still here. I wish he could have known you."

"I wish he could have too," I wrapped my arms around him as best I could, and rocked him gently when I felt his tears on my neck.

"Thank you," he whispered to me. "I know this seems strange..."

"No, Eric, it's not strange. It's... it was unexpected, but it's not strange. I know how much your dad means to you. I really am glad you brought me here. This, like it or not, is a part of you. You don't have to hide things from me. We're a team, right?" I reached up and wiped some of the tears off his face.

"Yeah," he said. "I try to come here once every couple of months. It makes me feel closer to him, and it's good to get some things off my chest sometimes. I told him all about you."

"I think that's healthy. I know my Gran visits my Granddad every couple of weeks and he's been gone for a long time now. This isn't so strange," I reassured him. "And if it makes you feel better, there's nothing wrong with it."

"I know. I just hoped you wouldn't react weirdly. I didn't really think you would, but it still made me nervous."

"That's understandable. This is a big thing," I said and he nodded. "If it wasn't important to you, I'm sure you would have mentioned it casually to me before like it was nothing, but it's not nothing. I understand. Do you want a minute alone? I can wait in the car if you want."

"That would be great," he smiled, then pulled my face to his gently for a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," I smiled at him and turned to the headstone. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Northman. I'm sure I'll see you again soon," I kissed my fingertips and pressed them to the headstone before I got up.

Eric kissed my hand where my ring was sitting, and then I went back to the car to give him some time alone with his dad. I sat in the car and tried not to watch him, but it was hard not to. I had no idea what he was saying, but it wasn't really any of my business. I fiddled with the old radio, and smiled when I came across an old Jim Croce song that my mother used to hum under her breath when I was a little. Before I knew it, Eric was back in the car. I hadn't even seen him coming back.

"All good now?" I asked once he was sitting beside me.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I always feel better after talking to him."

"Good," I slid across the seat and rested my head on his shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're the only one that I could imagine sharing this with."

"You never come with your mom?"

"Until I turned sixteen and started asking to come on my own, yeah. She'd bring me out here once a month to visit him. Sometimes a couple times a month. It was good for me. It helped me realize that if I believed he was listening, then he really is."

"I think he is. I think the spirits of the people we love are around us all the time. We can see them in the little things if we look hard enough," I said as his fingers laced with mine.

"He's definitely around. I swear I felt someone push me a little when I saw you dancing. Like, hey, just ask her to marry you already."

I laughed at that and said, "Then I guess it's a good thing you listened to whatever told you to do it. Is it possible to get your ass kicked by a ghost?"

"If it's my dad, then yeah," he laughed.

"He was just looking out for his boy."

"He was a smart man."

"He told you to pick me, didn't he?" I grinned at him.

"It's possible," he smiled back.

"So where to now?" I asked when he started the car a moment later.

"I vote for home so we can nap," he said.

"That's not a bad idea... but I have another, if you're so inclined..."

"I am."

"Well, I was just thinking that Gene and Jude's isn't too far from here..." I trailed off but I didn't really need to say anymore than that.

"Done," he said.

"Sweet! And this time you get four hot dogs. We might be engaged but we aren't married yet so common law does _not_ apply to my fries," I warned him.

"I have a feeling that even after we're married no law will allow me to eat your fries."

I chuckled as he drove us out of the cemetery and said, "We might be able to negotiate something. Marriage is about compromise, after all."

"We'll see," he laughed. "You're pretty serious about those fries."

"Well that's why we negotiate. I think we should trade fries for chick flicks," I suggested and Eric immediately threw out a veto.

"Nope," he said. "No more using chick flicks in negotiations. I can't have that anymore."

I scoffed and said, "Okay, fine. Then we'll stick to trading orgasms. Worked out very well last time, if I remember right."

"Now that is a trade I can get behind."

I picked up his hand and kissed the back of it as he drove on.

* * *

><p><strong>Awwwww so there's the last chapter. They're all engaged to be hitched, and Sookie finally met Mr. Northman. Scribe and I both teared up while writing the cemetery scene. That's definitely not the way either of them would have liked for Sookie to meet Eric's father, but it's the best anyone can do. It's cute in a morbid kind of way. Anyway, epilogue tomorrow. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	37. This Way

**So here it is, the last of this story. We'll have the outtakes we promised sometime in the near future. I'll be sending out Scribe's peanut butter cups sometime next week, so once she receives her bribe, hopefully, she'll start on it. I'll be doing a drunk Eric & Sookie outtake for you as well. We'll be marking this as complete, but the outtakes will go here as well. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 37: This Way<strong>

"_Want to photograph you with my mind, and feel how I feel now all the time. Say that you'll stay forever this way. Forever and forever, that we never have to change. Don't move, don't breathe, don't change, don't leave and promise me that you'll, oh we'll stay this way." –Jewel_

"At the next gas station you see you have to pull over. I have to pee again," I informed Eric and drummed my fingers on my enormous belly.

I was just two weeks shy of delivering our first child. My engagement and wedding rings sparkled on my finger where they had proudly been sitting for a little over two years. Our wedding was small. We were engaged for a little over seven months before we got married in October at a little get together down at my Gran's farm. We were married for a year before we started trying to get pregnant. When we found out we were I don't know if Eric and I were more excited, or if Angela took top honors there. She was cute about it, though.

"Being pregnant is no longer fun," I let my head roll to the side and immediately felt dizzy.

"It'll be over soon, sweetheart," he said, and reached over to rub my belly.

"I know," I sighed and the baby kicked his hand.

"I can't wait to meet him."

"Me either. Know what else I can't wait for?" I asked, my eyes drifting closed and a lazy smile spreading across my face.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Shower sex," I said. I missed it. A lot.

"Just shower sex? Not the rest of the sex?"

"Well that too, but I didn't want to seem greedy."

He glanced over at me with a smile. "You just like when I press you up against the tile and take you, admit it."

"Yes, I do. Very much."

"I can't wait for it either," he said. "I miss being close to you in that way, you know?"

"Yes, but like you said... it's almost over," I poked my stomach and our son poked back. It was a little game we'd started playing. "Oh! Gas station!" I pointed to the right and Eric pulled off the road.

"You know, you might be poking him in the eye when you do that. He's going to come out disfigured."

"Trust me, that's not his eye," I said and pulled his hand over further. "Feel that? That's his back."

"He's poking you with his back?" he asked with wide eyes. "Talented little fucker."

"Okay, you did _not_ just refer to our son as a 'little fucker.' Second of all, I poked his back but then his little arm shoots out and punches me somewhere. He's a little fighter," I unbuckled my seat belt.

"Who hits his mother," he chuckled.

"Something tells me he won't do that when the giant blond man threatens him," I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll waddle as quickly as I can."

"Call if you need help pulling your panties back up again," he said.

"You suck! That was just once, thank you very much," I glared at him as I got out of the car.

"Love you!"

"Yeah, yeah," I stuck my tongue out at him, closed the door and waddled my way inside the gas station to see if I needed a key for the bathroom.

The clerk couldn't hand it over quick enough, which was one of the better things about looking like I was going to give birth at any moment. I noticed people moved a little quicker to accommodate me, but I would still rather have slower service and less water retention. I managed to pee and get my panties on just fine, and then returned the key to the attendant. My eyes caught the Hostess display and I bought a package of cupcakes before returning to the car.

"Okay, all set," I buckled my seat belt again.

"Get a craving?" he asked, eying my cupcakes.

"Your son did, but I'm willing to share," I opened the package.

"And that's why I love you and married you," he said, and pulled one out.

"And here I thought it was for my boobs. You disappoint me with your frivolous romantic notions, Eric," I teased and bit into the other cupcake.

"Love is all about sharing the Hostess snacks," he said with a full mouth.

"Amen," I agreed with my mouth equally full. I patted my stomach and said, "You better enjoy it while you can, sonny boy. It'll be a liquid diet for you real soon."

"But he gets it on tap from a boob, he'll be fine."

"You're still a little jealous, aren't you?" I giggled.

"I'm not jealous..."

I shot him an 'oh please' look.

"Well, it's just that they're going to be too sore for me to play with for so long," he pouted.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," I patted his thigh.

"I can't even say he's a lucky little shit cause it feels kind of gross."

"Oh my God would you _please _stop calling our son curse words?" I laughed.

"I won't do it once he's out."

"You better not because if his first word is 'fucker,' _you're _in charge of explaining that to your mother," I warned him. "Personally I hope his first word is Voldemort."

"Take that back!"

"Never!" I laughed as we turned into the driveway of the house we were considering putting in an offer on.

"So what do you think?" he asked as he put the car in park.

"What's not to love, at least from the outside?" I smiled at the house.

It was a big white house with a gray slate roof, lots of windows and a porch that wrapped around the front and one side of the house. The lawn was bright green and the driveway curved around to the side where the garage was. We had seen pictures on the internet, and if everything inside lived up to what we had seen online, I had no doubt we would be putting in an offer before we left.

"I can see Sully and Fang running around."

"Yeah, me too," I unbuckled my seat belt again. "The only thing missing from that porch is a swing or some rocking chairs."

"Which are very addable."

"Yes they are," I got out of the car and closed the door. I waddled around to the front and reached for Eric's hand. "I like that there are so many windows, too."

"That's a lot of cleaning though."

"Well that's why we'll have a dozen kids. They'll help me clean," I snickered.

"Or you could let me hire a maid..."

"Um, no, I think I can handle cleaning the house just fine all by myself," I rolled my eyes.

I knew I was going to have my hands full with the baby, at first, but it was just a matter of finding a routine that worked. I'd figure it out just like my own mother did.

"You're going to be too busy with our son, and as soon as you're good to go again, fucking me."

"I'm glad you've got your priorities all figured out," I shook my head. "What about opening the restaurant?"

"I'll be working on that between playing with our son, and fucking you."

"I'm glad you've got it all figured out," I said just as the realtor came out to greet us.

"Hello, I'm Jan White. Are you Eric and Sookie Northman?" A middle-aged woman in a taupe suit extended a hand to me.

"Yes, we are," I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Eric shook her hand and said the same.

"Well, I'm glad you found the place. Come on in and I'll show you around," Jan gave us what was probably an award winning smile, and we followed her into the house.

From the second we walked into the house, I was in love with it. I loved everything, from the flooring to the molding in the corners. The kitchen was recently remodeled. There was a large center island, dark wood cabinets. Richly stained hardwood floors that only made me nervous because of the dogs. Fang was a beast, and even though I tried to keep the dogs well-manicured, they still scratched hardwood floors like nobody's business.

"Oh my God, Eric," I tugged on his hand when we got to the master bathroom upstairs. "Look at that tub."

"That's bigger than the one we have now."

"Yes, it is," I nodded and stared out the enormous window in awe. "This view it's..."

"Beautiful," Eric finished.

The house was absolutely stunning, and everything we were looking for. It was big for us now, but I assumed we would have at least two kids running around eventually, so having a five bedroom house made sense for us. The plot of land the house was sitting on was more than big enough for the dogs, and any kids we might have to run around on. From the back of the house there was a view of the wooded area and from the master bedroom and bath we could see one of the many lakes in the area.

"So, what do you think?" Jan asked once Eric and I came back downstairs.

"I'm in love," I said with a great big grin on my face.

"Honestly, it feels like home," Eric said with a smile as wide as mine. "I think... we'd like to put in an offer."

"Fantastic. Let's go into the dining room and we'll fill out the paperwork," Jan beamed another one of those smiles at us.

"Oh, can I use the bathroom first?" I winced. Sonny boy was just as excited as his parents, if the bouncing on my bladder he was doing was any indication.

"Sure, you remember where it is?" Jan asked and I nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll come find you when I'm done," I promised and hauled ass to the bathroom while Eric and Jan went to the dining room to start the paperwork.

**oOoOoOo**

"I need spicy food," I said as I waddled back and forth across the living room.

I was five days overdue.

"I keep telling you I'm willing to do the sex thing," Eric said, looking on at me sympathetically.

"I know, but do you realize that my ass officially has its own zip code now?" I tried to look over my shoulder. "It's ridiculous."

"What's your point? I love your ass."

"Well I don't. I want it back the way it was," I pouted.

"And if you let me have sex with you, it'll go back that way faster."

He had a point, and I knew this was probably our last chance before I gave birth. After that it would be at least six weeks before he got sexing privileges back, but it could be longer than that.

"Fine, you win," I said.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Consider this your eviction notice, kiddo," I poked my stomach.

"Ew, don't make him a part of it," Eric shuddered.

"Sorry. My brain filter is broken," I apologized.

"It's fine, let's get you to the bedroom," he grinned, and grabbed my hand.

"Ugh, stairs," I pouted and grabbed onto the railing. My center of gravity was all thrown off.

"We can do it down here on the couch."

"No, we can go upstairs," I said and kept climbing.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Want anything special?" he asked as we climbed the stairs. "Candles, music..."

"Just a really good orgasm that'll jump start things. I don't care how you do it," I said and hoped he wasn't offended by my lack of romantic attitude.

"As long as you're into it, so am I."

"I will be. We just have to prop up the pillows first," I told him. "I miss being able to lay flat on my back without feeling like I'm going to suffocate."

"I feel kind of bad for being the one to get you into this."

"I was there too, you know. I knew what I was doing when I stopped taking birth control and declared open season on my uterus," I snickered and pulled off my t-shirt. "God, a family of five could camp in that if they wanted to."

"Don't be ridiculous," Eric said, his eyes not moving from my boobs.

They were big before. Now they were obscene.

"Okay... wow me," I said after I climbed up onto the bed rather awkwardly.

"Brace yourself, Sookie. This might be the last time for a long time, and I'm going to make it worth your while."

"Promises, promises," I dramatically yawned.

And then he pulled out the hitachi. My day suddenly got better.

**oOoOoOo**

Two days later I was still pregnant.

I was standing at the kitchen sink rinsing off an apple to slice up and smear with peanut butter when Eric came into the room with the phone pressed to his ear and a grin on his face. When I lifted an eyebrow at him he mouthed _realtor _to me and I stopped what I was doing to listen to his side of the conversation.

"Yes. Yes, she'll be very happy to hear that. Of course. Thank you so much," he said, then hung up the phone.

"What'd she say?"

"Offer accepted," he grinned.

"That's great!" I would have jumped up and down if I wasn't worried about putting a hole through the floor.

"We have a new house," he said with a huge smile, and came over to wrap his arms around me as best he could.

Without warning, I burst into tears.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"This kid is never coming out! We'll be moving into the house and I'm still going to be pregnant. I'll be like one of those ladies on TLC hauling around a forty-six-year-old fetus!" I whined, completely aware of how irrational I was being.

"Maybe he knows something we don't," he said, soothingly rubbing my arms.

"No, he's just obviously _your _son," I sniffled and rubbed away the tears.

"What does that mean?"

"Now that he's in me, he doesn't want to leave!" I said and started crying again.

"Oh honey," Eric said, trying not to chuckle. "I'm sorry."

"Can we please have spicy food for dinner?" I asked through my tears.

I was seriously considering carrying a bottle of hot sauce everywhere to take hits off of every half hour or so just to see if that worked. So far the sex had been useless, at least for the purposes of jump starting labor.

"How about I order us something really spicy?"

I nodded against his chest but kept crying. I couldn't turn it off. Stupid fucking hormones.

Eric was pretty good about just letting me cry on his shoulder. Over the last month or so the littlest things could set me off. Those ASPCA commercials with all the abused animals were banned in our house. I would bawl for the rest of the night if I saw one of those things.

"You want to go lie down for a little while?" he asked. "I promise there will be spicy food when you wake up."

"No, it takes forever to find a way to get comfortable. Maybe I'll go for a walk or something," I sniffled and wiped my tears away again.

"Alright, I'm coming with you," he said.

"Eric, I'm sure I can walk around the block by myself," I sighed, but knew it was futile. He hadn't left my side for longer than a trip to the bathroom or the shower in the last week.

"It's pointless to try and stop me."

"I know, I know, and I _do_ appreciate it," I smiled softly.

"I know you do," he smiled back. "Want some shoes on?"

"Flip flops are fine," I said and waddled toward the laundry room.

The dogs followed, obviously thinking they were coming with us wherever we were going.

"No," Eric told them both firmly, and they looked disappointed.

"I hope Fang doesn't get too jealous when we bring the baby home. She's used to being the first one cuddled when you walk through the door after work," I smirked and walked out into the garage.

"Fang will be just fine."

"I hope so."

We walked out the side door of the garage and headed for the sidewalk. At my doctor's appointment that morning (I was going daily since I was late), my doctor told me that if I didn't go into labor on my own by Friday, they would induce me. I really didn't want my kid to have a Friday the thirteenth birthday. I wasn't a superstitious person usually, but I didn't want to jinx myself when it came to childbirth. Too many things could go wrong.

On the bright side, at least the baby was officially turned and dropped. I had started to dilate and I was having sporadic contractions. I was just waiting for things to kick into high gear. So far every home remedy I'd tried had been pointless.

"So are we sure about the name?" I asked once we turned the corner.

"Yes," he assured me for probably the hundredth time. "I think it's a great name."

"Okay. If you change your mind just tell me."

"I won't. Even my mom will be honored with the name. I think my dad would have loved it."

"I hope so," I rested my head on his arm.

We decided the name the baby after Eric's father when we found out we were having a boy. It seemed fitting, and I liked the name Ian anyway. We hadn't told Angela, though. Eric and I knew the baby's sex, but we hadn't told anyone else. They were all just going to have to be surprised.

"We'll have to take him to the cemetery to meet Dad once I can walk normally again," I smiled up at Eric. I'd started calling his father Dad after my third trip to the cemetery.

"Yes we will," he smiled back. "I wish he was around to spoil the little guy rotten."

"I'm sure your Mom will be doing spoiling enough for eight grandparents."

"And yours," he pointed out.

"Until Pam and Jason have a kid, you can pretty much count on it."

He snorted. "Like that's going to happen."

"Seriously, if you think I'm a pain in the ass right now, imagine what Pam would be like," I shuddered. "Thank God we'll be in Galena by the time they get knocked up."

"No shit. I couldn't handle her. Or Jason crashing at our house all the time."

"Oh fuck no. He knew what he was marrying. I believe we _all_ tried to talk him out of it at one point or another," I laughed when I thought about it.

"God knows I tried."

"Honestly, I didn't think they would last this long," I admitted. "I thought for sure the novelty would wear off, and we'd be throwing them a divorce party at the bar within two years."

"You gave them two years?" he laughed.

"I was trying to be optimistic?"

"You're nicer than me."

"That goes without saying, sweetie," I squeezed his hand.

Then there was a sudden sharp pain in my abdomen that made my breath catch. I stopped walking and put my free hand on my belly. Everything had tightened up. I gasped and looked up at Eric.

"Contraction?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Big one."

"Want to get back to the house?"

"No, let's keep walking. Just time them for me, will you?"

"Okay," he said, and checked his watch.

We had gone around the block and were walking up to the house when another wave of pain hit me. I winced, but kept walking. Eric timed my contractions for me and I tried not to let myself get too excited about the prospect that sonny boy might finally be vacating the premises. I'd done the false labor thing twice. I wasn't leaving the house until my contractions were five minutes apart, or my water broke.

Just to be on the safe side, Eric put the bag I had packed more than a month ago into the car. I had all the stuff I would need, as well as a couple of outfits for the baby in there. I popped my iPod onto the charger because there was no way I was going through this process without it, and the hospital I was going to had docks in their rooms. I had considered doing a home birth but my paranoia that something could go wrong prevented me from doing it. If there was a complication I didn't want to have to wait on an ambulance to take me in.

Two hours later I was sitting on the couch watching an old rerun of _Friends _when I felt something warm and wet between my legs. Ironically, all I could think was that I was glad we weren't planning on taking that couch to Galena with us anyway.

"Eric!" I shouted, and then there was a heard of elephants overhead. He had been in the office erasing the memory card of his digital camera.

"What happened? Go time?" he asked while running down the stairs.

"I should have put down one of those puppy pads from when we were training Fang," I snickered and then tried to push myself up. It wasn't happening with the cushions sagging like they did.

"Wait, don't move," he said. "I'll get you some clean underwear. Mom said something about clean underwear being important."

Was he fucking serious?

"Um, Eric, honey, if my water broke it's not going to fix itself. Well, it better fucking not," I rocked forward again. "Now please just help me up?"

He did as I asked, and pulled me up, then wrapped an arm around me. "Are you sure you don't want to change before we go?"

"That's sweet of you, but in a matter of a few hours I'll be spread eagle and showing everything off to a half a dozen people," I said and he looked slightly horrified about it. "What? You thought we were going to be alone in the room?"

"No, I just... nevermind," he shook his head. "Let's get to the hospital and have our baby."

"Good id-" I stopped talking because the mother of all contractions decided I no longer needed words, just pain.

"Sookie?" he asked, and gave me his hand to squeeze.

"Time," was all I could get out as I squeezed his hand and concentrated on breathing.

Eric looked at his watch and rubbed my lower back with his other hand while I breathed through the pain as best I could. It felt like it went on forever, but eventually I was able to stand up straight again and take a deep breath of relief.

"Okay, let's go," I said and went to the garage.

"Should we call the hospital to let them know we're coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've got the number stored in my phone," I told him as I got into the car. I'd had the forethought to put an old towel down on the seat in case my water broke. "We also need to call the neighbors and ask them to come over and let the dogs out for us later."

Our next door neighbors were pretty cool people, and we'd done them similar favors in the past when they'd gone out of town. I was actually going to miss them when we moved. I wouldn't say we were really good friends, but as far as neighbors go, they were good people.

"I'll call them after we get there. You focus on breathing."

"I will. Oh, and please don't call my parents until I'm settled in at the hospital. I don't want them making a trip up there for nothing."

"I won't. We'll stick to the plan."

"Good," I took a deep breath.

Eric went inside to lock up the house and turn everything off, but returned to the car in relatively short order. The car seat in the back made me smile. When we came home next time, there would finally be a baby in it.

_Thank God._

"So, do you want to take bets on how long it'll take me to push this little moose out of me?" I asked Eric once we were on our way and I'd panted my way through another contraction of doom.

"Hopefully not long, I'm not sure my hand can take it."

I forced myself not to comment about his poor hand. I couldn't, however, help the roll of my eyes.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Eric," I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to keep myself relaxed.

"Well I also don't want you to go through a delivery that long. You're going to be so exhausted."

"I might as well get used to it. I won't be getting a full night's sleep for a long time," I smiled over at him. I was actually strangely excited about that, although I suspected that would change after about three days.

"I'll be around to help with that," he said. "You just whip your boob out and I'll hold him up to it while you sleep."

I couldn't help laughing at the image in my head and said, "Don't make me laugh; it makes more water come out."

"Sorry," he smiled over at me. "Hey, Sook?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to meet our son very soon."

"Yeah, we are," I put my hand on my belly.

"And we're going to be the best parents ever."

"I hope so," I said and then the tears started up again. Dammit.

"Hey," he said gently. "It's okay."

"I know. These are happy tears," I promised him.

"Good. Wanna take bets on how many fingers and toes he'll have?"

I looked at him with horror on my face. Seriously? He wanted to take bets on whether or not our son was going to come out deformed?

"Oh come on," he glanced at me. "It was supposed to make you laugh."

"Um, if there's a possibility that something could have gone wrong and our son doesn't have all the parts he's supposed to, that's not funny," I glared at him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I guess it's still a little different for me. Would you rather take bets on how cute he'll be?"

"There's nothing to bet on. He's going to be the cutest baby ever _with all his parts_," I said firmly.

"Yes he will. And he's going to have your eyes."

We went back and forth, guessing what he would inherit from whom (between contractions, anyway), and before too long we were pulling into the parking lot at the hospital. Up we went to the maternity floor, and I was taken to a room for an examination. Eric waited out in the hall while a nurse by the name of Karen looked me over. I told her how far apart my contractions were and all that other need to know information that had to have.

She did a quick exam, put me on a fetal monitor and told me that I was at five centimeters. It was official; I was in labor.

**oOoOoOo**

As soon as it was offered I agreed to an epidural. I knew Eric wasn't too happy about it, but I didn't see any reason for me to lie there writhing in pain when sweet relief was a spinal block away. Besides, I needed to get some sleep and that wasn't going to happen if I kept having contractions as strong as the ones I was having. Having the damn thing put in didn't feel too great, but it was better than having to feel the contractions.

Our parents showed up a couple of hours later, and it was just after midnight when I was given the all clear to start pushing. Our parents were ushered out of the room at my request. I loved them all, but I didn't need to have a bunch of extra bodies in the room making comments and chattering. I just wanted to get it over with.

Forty-five minutes and a lot of pushing later, the doctor announced that he could see the baby's head and Eric shifted a little to look for himself.

"Holy shit," he said, and his face paled.

"What? Oh my God what's wrong?" I panted.

"Nothing, it just... it's shocking to see a baby's head right... there."

I breathed a sigh of relief but that didn't last since another contraction started and I was back to pushing. I was so zoned out on what I was doing that I didn't have the energy left over to think about anything else other than evacuating my son.

"Come on, kid!" I groaned when my head flopped back against the bed.

"You're doing so great, sweetheart," Eric said in encouragement. "We're almost there."

I nodded and squeezed his hand gently. With my next push the baby's little head was out, and when I looked down I could see the top of it. He was bloody, but I could see a curl of hair sticking up.

"Oh my God!" I started crying again. I hope someone had a raft to float everyone out.

"Okay Sookie, stop pushing," the doctor said. They had to clean out his little nose and mouth before I could keep going, but it didn't take long.

"Get him out, get him out!" I said with the last push and then all of sudden he just slithered the rest of the way out.

"Oh my God, Sookie, look at him," Eric said in awe, and then the doctor was placing him on my chest for a moment.

"Does he have all his fingers and toes?" I asked in a panic.

Eric looked quickly, and confirmed that he was perfect.

I squeezed my eyes shut in hopes of clearing some of the tears in my eyes, and felt Eric's lips on my forehead. When I opened my eyes again a nurse was rubbing all the gook off of the baby and I searched for the right thing to say.

His little navy blue eyes found mine and I said, "Hey you." Out of habit I poked his back. "You're it."

Eric was looking at him with tears in his eyes, and said, "Look what we did."

A nurse put a hat on his little head and I couldn't take my eyes off him, no matter how much I wanted to look at Eric. Months of wondering what he was going to look like and he was more beautiful than I could have imagined, even if he did look like a wrinkly old man at the moment.

"He's so small," I said, even though it hadn't felt that way just a few minutes before.

The nurse lifted him quickly and took him over to the little baby exam table where they could weigh, measure and take his little footprints. I finally looked over at Eric and said, "Go with him."

He kissed me and said, "You did so good."

I nodded, smiled through my tears and said, "You're a dad."

"And you're a mom."

Ian let out a squeal from the other side of the room that made my heart clench and after one more kiss, Eric went across the room to check on the baby. The doctor finished up all the other routine afterbirth stuff, and we found out that Ian weighed in at just under nine pounds and was twenty-one inches long. He was a big baby, by most standards.

"Can we let visitors in yet, or do you want some more time?" Karen asked after coming into the room with some juice for me.

I looked at Eric, who was holding our son and said, "Give us a few more minutes."

"He's so perfect," Eric said, staring at the tiny baby in his arms. Ian was staring up at him, probably because he recognized his voice.

"Yeah, he is," I smiled and let my head roll to the side. I was exhausted.

"Do you want to see anyone right now?"

"Not quite yet," my eyes closed and I felt Eric sit down on the edge of my bed.

"You want to hold him?"

I nodded and opened my eyes. Eric passed me the baby and his slight weight settled in my arms. I listened for every little noise he made, and gently touched his rosy, chubby cheek.

"Did you remember the earplugs for when your mom sees him?" I whispered and Eric chuckled.

"In my pocket," he chuckled.

"Good. I don't want Ian going deaf on his first day," I kissed his little forehead and breathed deep. It amazed me that he already had his own little smell.

"He looks like you."

"You think?" I smiled at him. It was hard to say who he looked like just yet, as far as I could tell.

"He's got your cheeks, and your mouth."

"He's got your bone structure," I said and then giggled quietly, but Ian's eyes popped open suddenly. "Woops. Sorry, buddy."

"I love that he can recognize our voices. All that reading to him in there paid off."

"What if," I paused and shifted Ian in my arms, "he ends up a Dramoine fan?"

"Shhhh, don't speak of such things in front of him."

"You would rather he be gay, wouldn't you?" I smirked.

"I don't care if he's gay or straight, I just don't want him to be a Dramione fan."

"You hear that, little boy?" I asked the pair of big blue eyes that were staring up at me.

Ian yawned.

"See? Now that's my son. He's bored with all this talk of Harry Potter."

"Not funny," he said with a smile. "You let me read the first book to him and he liked it, and you know it."

"I know it put him to sleep," I shrugged.

"Don't color his judgment."

"You mean don't influence him _not_ to like it, right?" I corrected.

"Yes."

I sighed, kissed my baby's forehead and said, "I'll love you no matter how big of a nerd you are."

"He's never going to do anything wrong, you know that, right?"

"Oh yeah? When he starts crawling put your Star Wars toys where he can reach them," I laid Ian on my chest and leaned back.

JB thought the same thing about his sons until one day Gavin decided he didn't think Zachary needed hair on the right side of his head, and climbed up to get the scissors while Tara was folding laundry in the other room. She walked into the kitchen to find one of her sons nearly half bald, and Gavin was drawing on his brother's head with a marker.

"Should we let our parents in now?" I rubbed Ian's back, and hoped he enjoyed the calm before the storm.

"Yeah, I think so. The sooner we get them in, the sooner they leave, and that means you can finally sleep."

"Mmhmm, and little man is going to need to eat soon," I said, still feeling a little nervous about the whole breast feeding thing, but I was going to give it a shot and see how it went.

"Alright, I'll go out and get them. Don't let him do anything amazing while I'm gone."

"I think his best trick is opening his eyes," I said and Ian snorted.

Eric leaned over and kissed me, and then the baby, before getting up and going across the room to open the door. Seconds later he was nearly being bowled over by three eager grandparents who surrounded my bed with big smiles on their faces, and gifts in their arms.

"Everyone, this is Ian," I said with a smile and turned him around so he could see everyone. Or, more accurately, everyone could see him.

Angela let out a loud noise, and immediately reached for him.

"Jesus, Mom," Eric rolled his eyes.

"I hope you don't mind we named him that," I smiled up at Angela and then looked to my parents. "Ian was Eric's father's name," I explained to them, and they nodded respectfully.

"He's beautiful, sweetheart," Mom leaned over with tears in her eyes and kissed my forehead.

I hugged her as tightly as I could, and then hugged Dad as well when he leaned down to replicate Mom's gesture. Angela stood there cradling Ian with tears running down her cheeks.

"He looks like your dad," she said to Eric, then looked at me. "Thank you, for the name."

"I don't think we could have named him anything else," I smiled at her.

"How are you feeling, Sookie?" Mom sat on the edge of my bed and stroked my hair back from my face.

"Exhausted, happy... scared to death that I'm going to screw him up beyond repair," I confessed and Dad chuckled.

"So like any new parent," he rubbed the top of my head.

"At the moment I think we're mostly relieved he's here and healthy," Eric said.

"Amen to that," Mom said and my eyes closed.

The slow, rhythmic movement of her fingers trailing up and down the inside of my arm was lulling me to sleep, and before I knew it I dropped out of the conversation that was going on around me, although I kept listening.

"So what's the weight on this little guy?" Mom asked.

"Just under nine pounds," Eric said. "He's a big little guy. And long too. Twenty-one inches."

"He's like a little roley poley," Mom chuckled and I felt her rocking on the bed, suggesting that Angela had passed Ian over to her.

"He's got my hairline," Dad said and I know I smiled at that.

"He looks like Sookie to me," Eric said. "But then I do spend more time staring at her face than my own, so I could just be seeing all her features popping out."

"I think he's got your nose," Mom suggested.

Ian started to fuss and Mom tried to soothe him, but her attempts were failing.

"Sookie, sweetie, I think he needs to eat," Mom nudged me gently.

I opened my eyes and looked at Eric. "Will you get the nurse for me?"

"Sure," he said, then got up to go get her.

"You're still sure about the breastfeeding, huh?" Mom asked as I tried to get situated without flashing everyone in the room.

Dad moved across the room, thankfully, and Angela took a few steps back. I didn't mind Mom staying close, though.

"I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. If it's not working for me, then I won't keep up with it," I said as Eric returned with Karen right behind him.

Ian's patience ran out, and he really opened up those lungs to let us know he was done being cute and wanted to eat. Now.

"So, you're going to try breastfeeding?" Karen said with a patient smile.

"Yep," I sighed warily.

Mom moved out of the way so Karen could instruct me on how to get the process going, and once Ian was latched on, I winced a little bit. It hurt more than I thought it would.

"God, I am _so_ quitting this before he gets teeth," I said through a clenched jaw.

"You can quit whenever you want," Eric said. "But thank you for trying."

He'd been more for the breastfeeding than I had since he read something in one of the baby books about all the benefits.

"It'll get easier," Mom said, although I wasn't sure if I believed her.

"I know there are benefits to it, but bottles are so much more convenient sometimes," I yawned, and looked down to see Ian was already dropping off into a milk coma. "Oh no you don't. I am not here for you to graze on, sonny boy."

"That's what you think," Mom laughed.

"Don't encourage him," I glared at her.

"What's more convenient than having his meals on tap at the perfect temperature?" Eric asked.

"Uh, you being able to feed him in the middle of the night without waking me up," I pointed out.

"That's what a pump is for."

"What happened to I can quit whenever I want?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Eric, honey, don't fight with her right now. The hormones will shred you alive," Mom said kindly. At least someone had my back.

"Sorry," he said.

I waited a few minutes, burped Ian and then switched sides. I figured eventually it wouldn't feel weird, but for the time being it really did.

"You okay over there, Angela? You're being awfully quiet," I smiled at her.

"I'm in awe, that's all," she smiled back. "I can't believe my baby has a baby."

"Yeah, who knew when I walked into your bar almost fourteen years ago that we'd end up here?" I looked over at Eric.

"Not me, that's for sure," he laughed. "You were _such_ an awful waitress."

"I made up for it in personality," I laughed and looked down to see Ian trying to look up at me. My heart melted a little.

"You did," he smiled. "I'm glad though, that you were awful. Who knows where we'd have ended up if I didn't fire you."

"Probably in small claims court," I joked. "Did you call Pam and tell her she's an aunt?"

"Shoot, no," he said, and started searching for his phone.

"I called her already," Angela piped up. "But you may want to call and tell her the sex and all that."

"Text her a picture," I suggested. I knew Eric already had a couple on his phone.

Ian stopped feeding and when I tried to get him going again, he did, but it seemed to be reflex since he stopped a few seconds later. I unlatched him from my boob and covered myself up before shifting him to burp him. After he burped for me I shifted a little and looked over at Dad.

"Want to hold him?" I offered and he got up slowly to come over and take Ian from me.

"Well hello there, Ian," Dad smiled at him.

Mom produced a camera from out of nowhere and started taking pictures. I managed to stay awake for a few of them, but then the exhaustion caught up with me. Eric was on the phone with I don't even know who when my eyes closed and I completely passed out.

When I woke up a while later, it was because Ian was hungry again. Eric handed me the baby, and I was slightly relieved to see our parents were gone.

"How long was I out?" I yawned and got Ian situated to feed him again.

"Couple hours," he said.

"It feels like it was only five minutes," I said as I guided my nipple into Ian's little mouth. He latched on like an old pro and I squeezed my eyes closed while I winced.

"We can put him in the nursery tonight if you want."

"I don't know. We'll see," I yawned again and my own stomach rumbled. "I'm starving."

It was just before seven in the morning and I gasped at the realization that Eric probably hadn't slept at all.

"Eric, were you up all night?" I asked.

"I slept a little when he was sleeping."

I scooted over on the bed and said, "Come here," and motioned for him to lie down next to me.

He stretched out next to me as best he could. "You need sleep more than I do."

"I know, but I'm going to be awake for a while. I have to feed the baby, change him and eat something myself. Close your eyes, Eric. Get some sleep," I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Wake me up if you need anything at all," he said with a yawn as his eyes fluttered closed.

I rubbed Ian's back while he fed, and smiled over at the sleeping giant laying next to me. The bed wasn't very comfortable, but there was nowhere else I would rather be at that moment. I touched Ian's cheek and his eyes opened lazily. They were unfocused, suggesting I had pulled him out of the little milk coma he was about to fall into.

"Sorry, sonny boy, but mama needs a nap. You wore me out last night," I smiled at him and resumed rubbing his back. When it was time, I unlatched him from my breast and shifted him to burp him. He wasn't happy about it, but he'd get over it. "Just like your father," I laughed quietly to myself.

**oOoOoOo**

The first few days at home were made easier by our mothers alternating days to come over and help us out with the baby and keeping the house clean. While still painful, the breastfeeding did get easier. I figured out in the beginning that a routine was near impossible to get going, but I did the best I could to stick to a schedule. Eric was a godsend for getting up with Ian as much as he did in the middle of the night.

The dogs took to Ian immediately, and Fang was particularly protective of the newest addition to our family. She would sit near the little swing we had set up in the living room, and growl at anyone other than Eric or me that came close to the baby. It was actually really cute until Pam almost got bit because of it.

But life was good. We started all the paperwork to close on the new house in Galena, and a week after we brought Ian home from the hospital we informed our families that we would be moving. Our closing date was set for the end of May in a little over a month. I was excited, but also worried about how I was going to get everything packed that needed to go.

"I think we may have to hire a cleaning lady after all," I finally conceded one night when Eric and I were in bed with the baby, who was asleep between us.

"All you have to do is ask, and I'll find one."

"I'm not supermom, unfortunately, and there's just so much that we're going to have to do when we get settled in the new house," I rolled onto my side and stared down at the baby. "I can't believe how much bigger he is in just a week."

"I can't wait until he starts reacting more," he smiled down at Ian. "And we'll get help. It's going to be hard to get everything done, and we need it done fast."

"Yes, we do. I'm going to start looking at nursery stuff this week," I said. I'd held off on decorating the house we were currently living in since we were looking to move. I didn't see any point in decorating a nursery if we weren't staying. Besides, Ian was sleeping in our room anyway.

"Sounds good to me."

"Did you decide if you want to keep that carpet in the living room at the new place?" I was hoping he would say no. I hated the color of it, but Eric had seemed to like it.

"I think we should wait and see what furniture we pick out for in there before making any rash decisions."

"Then we need to go look at furniture. Maybe we can ask your Mom to watch him for a few hours. We can have lunch alone and then go look at furniture," I suggested.

"Are you going to be able to handle that?" he asked. "We can take him with us. He's just going to sleep anyway."

"I know, but a little time by ourselves would be good. It would just be a couple of hours," I said, knowing I would probably cry in the car all the way to the restaurant.

Ian had turned me into a big softy.

"Well you know Mom will be okay with it. All we have to do is ask."

"Are _you _okay with it?" I asked, knowing Eric had his own trepidations about leaving Ian with anyone else.

"Well she did okay with me," he smiled. "I think he'll be fine."

"I know. Besides, I think she would appreciate a little time with him without one of us hovering over her," I leaned down and kissed Ian's little head. When I touched his hand, his little fist curled around my finger. He was a strong little man.

"I can't help it."

"I think it's cute," I said and he narrowed his eyes at me. "Oh get over it. You're a puddle around this kid, and it's adorable. I wonder what Isabel would do if she saw you with Ian."

Hell, any of Eric's ex-girlfriends seeing him with a baby would be comical. And he was good at it. He looked like a natural.

"Well, first of all, her ovaries would ache. Then she would fall in love with me. Then she would somehow break us up, then convince me to marry her, and as soon as Ian's old enough, she'd ship him off to boarding school and slowly poison me to death to collect insurance money."

"That twat," I muttered. "If you ever see that nasty old Isabel, you run the other way," I said to Ian.

"Don't curse in front of him," Eric scolded me playfully. "And you don't have to worry. Pam told me the other day that she heard Isabel's engaged to Quinn."

"Get the fuck out!" I said before I could stop myself.

"Cursing..."

"Okay, you called Ian a few curse words while I was still pregnant, so pot meet kettle, and second of all... I didn't think Quinn was in the right tax bracket for someone like Isabel."

"Apparently he's had quite a windfall."

"He won't after the divorce," I snickered. "We should take bets on how long they stay married. I bet we could get quite a pool going if we wanted to."

"I would, but I fear that would do bad things to my karma."

"Good point," I sighed. "Eh, you know what? I hope they're happy together. Everyone deserves to be happy, even a couple of people like Isabel and Quinn."

"Even though they're horrible people."

Ian's eyes opened and he looked right at Eric.

"Hey there, Sonny Boy."

"I hope he doesn't plan on staying up for very long. I'm having a snack and going to sleep," I warned Eric.

"Maybe that's all he wants too."

"That is entirely possible, but I'll wait until he starts fussing for it," I got up and went over to the portable crib thing we had set up off to the side, and retrieved a fresh diaper and the wipes so I could change Ian's diaper.

"He's so cute," Eric said.

"He looks like me. Of course he is," I smirked and climbed up on the bed again.

"I think he did end up with my eyes though."

"Yeah, I think so. They've gotten just a little bit lighter," I leaned over Ian and covered his little face in kisses. "I could just eat you," I nuzzled him.

"Sookie he just smiled!"

"Shut up!" I pulled back. "He's not even two weeks old. It was probably just gas," I said in attempts to convince myself that I hadn't missed it.

"No, that was a smile! He did it when you kissed him."

"Did you smile at me, Ian?" I cooed at him and unsnapped his onesie to change him. "Let's see if you'll do it again," I leaned down and kissed his face.

"See?"

He was smiling alright.

"That's my boy!" I abandoned the diaper change and picked him up and held him so we were face to face. "I love you to pieces, little man," I said and then kissed him some more. He was smiling again when I pulled back. "Man, this is the best thing in the world."

"I never thought I'd be so excited over something as simple as a smile."

"That makes two of us," I snuggled Ian for a few seconds before putting him down to change his diaper. "Will you smile if Daddy gives you kisses?"

Eric grinned, then leaned down to try, kissing him as I had.

"I see a twitch," I said as I quickly swapped the older diaper for the new one so I wouldn't get sprinkled on. "I think we've got a mama's boy on our hands."

"I knew that was going to happen," he sighed. "But it's fine. When we have a girl she'll be a daddy's girl."

"Oh yeah?" I taped the new diaper in place and snapped the onesie up.

"Well she better be a daddy's girl."

I lifted Ian and handed him to Eric. "I'm sure Ian will warm up to you... eventually."

"Oh hush, we'll be buddies," he said. "Won't we, Ian?"

"I know you will," I leaned over and kissed Eric. "I'm going downstairs to grab a snack and let the dogs out. Do you want anything?"

"Some water would be great."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes," I leaned down and kissed Ian. "You don't be too cute while I'm gone."

I climbed off the bed and went downstairs to let the dogs out into the yard. I grabbed an apple in the kitchen and took it outside with me to eat while the dogs ran around for a little bit and took care of their business. I was leaning up against the railing, staring up at the stars when I heard the sliding door and Ian whimpering behind me.

I turned and said, "It's like he always knows when I'm eating."

"Just think of it as you two being in sync," Eric smiled.

"I guess," I said and held the apple with my teeth while I took the baby from Eric. "Come on, Sonny Boy, let's go get you fed so Mommy can take a nap."

When I got back inside I grabbed one of Ian's fuzzy blankets and set him down on the couch for a minute so I could take my shirt off. It was just easier to ditch it. Ian fussed louder, obviously not impressed with my speed. I made myself comfortable on the couch with a pillow on my lap before picking him up. As soon as I got Ian latched on he stopped screaming at me. I winced at the little bit of pain that came with it, and put his blanket over him. I knew he'd be topped off and in a milk coma in no time.

Eric and the dogs came back into the house as I was burping Ian. I propped my feet up on the coffee table and Eric sat down next to me. I shifted a little and leaned against him. Ian nuzzled my shoulder while I burped him, and all of a sudden he let one loose that made both of us laugh.

"Little caveman," I giggled.

"He's his father's son."

"Clearly," I handed Ian back to Eric so I could get my nursing bra back in place. I wasn't going to miss wearing that thing whenever I gave up on nursing.

"Come here, little guy," Eric said as he snuggled him.

I got up and went to the kitchen to get Eric his water, and then curled up on the couch again. Ian was resting on Eric's chest with a content look on his face. I pulled the blanket down off the back of the couch and spread it out over my legs. I didn't want to move.

"Can we just sit here for a little while?" I asked in a sleepy voice.

"I don't see why not."

"Okay," I yawned. "Wake me up if he needs to be topped off again."

"Will do," he smiled.

Eric wrapped his arm around me and I reached up to grab his hand. I snuggled against him a little and fell asleep to the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the little noises our son made as he slept beside me.

"Love you, Eric," I muttered before I completely dropped off.

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it! Eric and Sookie are happily married and have an adorable little baby boy. Happy endings all around. It was quite a journey these two took us on, I'll tell you that. I feel I should also tell you that even though we knew this story was over, Scribe and I weren't ready to say goodbye to them quite yet. Since my brain seems to contain all the stories, I quickly devised a plot for a sequel. Scribe and I aren't writing it as quickly as we did the first part, but we're working on it. The working title is "After the Storm," so be on the look out for that. I suppose we can put it to a vote. Would you rather get chapters as they're finished, or would you rather we wait to post until the story is finished? We're on chapter 8, but like I said, the writing seems to be going slower this time around so it could be a while between updates. Let us know in reviews and we'll keep a tally. <strong>

**Thanks so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, PM'd, favorited and alerted this story. We genuinely appreciate all of your feedback. Until next time!**

**~Meg & Scribe**

**_P.S. Fanfic Wife kjwrit posted a new chapter of "Men in Uniform" featuring a porn star Eric. Yeah. It's every bit as sexy as you think it is. So if you aren't already peeking at those tasty little morsels of sexy times and comedy, you're missing out. Go read it!_  
><strong>


	38. Outtake: Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced

**Okay, so Scribe and I thought it might be fun to go back in time to long before Mexico and give you a peek into their friendship before they were lovers, or a couple. This was fun to write, but also kind of strange since we're not used to writing them single, OR in from Eric's POV. However, we thought y'all deserved a little EPOV after reading so many chapters of SPOV. She sneaks in here for a bit, but Eric primarily ran this show. So, we hope you enjoy this little bonus. Oh, and this is unedited beyond a simple spellchecking, so all the mistakes are ours. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

><p><span>Outtake: Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced<span>

I did my best to juggle the bag of junk food and the alcohol to get my key into the lock at Sookie's condo. She needed a night of alcohol and friend time, and I prided myself on being a good friend. Plus, my date for that night fell through.

"Sookie," I called when I got the door open. Sully, her dog, came running up and almost knocked me off balance. "Hey boy, where's your owner?"

I got into the kitchen and put everything on the table, then went back to Sookie's room, where I knew she'd likely be.

"Sook?" I said as I opened her bedroom door. She was lying under her big comforter, likely not sleeping, but completely ignoring me. I debated for about two seconds whether or not I should pounce on her before I did it.

"Eric!" she squealed and tried to fight her way out from under me. "God, you weigh a ton."

"That'll teach you to ignore me," I laughed as I rolled off of her just enough to pull the blanket down and flip her on her back, then straddled her hips, effectively pinning her to the bed. "Stop moping. I have alcohol and chocolate, and will let you pick the movie and/or music."

"What are you doing here?" she whined. "I just want to be by myself right now. I don't want chocolate or booze. I want to just lay here and feel sorry for myself."

I rolled my eyes. "What's the point in that? The jackass is the one who should feel sorry for himself. You need to get liquored up and be silly."

"Look, I don't expect you to get it, but I thought I was going to marry him, okay? I deserve a little time to wallow over it," she argued, that stubborn pout fixed on her face.

"Well I think you've wallowed enough. You even smell funny."

"Asshole," she said, but cracked a small smile.

"That's what I'm talking about," I grinned. "Now get your ass up, and come drink with me."

"Fine, but I'm not getting out of my mismatched pajamas for this," she warned, as if I cared what she was wearing.

"Good, I like you with no bra anyway," I winked, and climbed off of her, and the bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not taking my shirt off," she said as she sat up and slowly got out of bed, leaving her comforter askew and her pillows all at weird angles.

"We'll see about that. I brought your Achilles heel of alcohol."

"If I puke, you're cleaning it up," she warned, grumbling all the way as she followed me down the hall toward the living room. "And we're listening to sappy country songs."

I snorted, "That'll last about as long as it takes for you to get to the ranty stage."

"No it won't. I'm going to get shitfaced, listen to sappy country songs and cry on your shoulder. Deal with it."

"Again, we shall see," I said, and handed her the bag with junk food in it as I started pulling the alcohol out.

"Oh hell," she reached over and grabbed the bottle of Tequila Rose. "You aren't fucking around, are you?"

"Nope. Like you said, you wanted to marry that idiot. This requires the good stuff."

Sookie reached to open one of her cabinets and looked over her shoulder to ask, "What are you drinking? I'm assuming the Tequila Rose is too girly for you."

"I have some beer in here, and Jameson, among other things. We have everything we need to get shitfaced, and I need it _almost_as much as you do."

"What's your damage?" Sookie asked while she put ice into her glass.

"One of my regular booty calls decided to go crazy and tell me she loved me and wanted to bear my children," I sighed. I really needed to start picking them better.

"Well if you would stop fucking barflies..." she trailed off.

"I don't just fuck barflies," I scoffed. I really didn't. I wasn't picky, but I also wasn't really that much of a whore. I didn't want a diseased stick, if you know what I mean.

"Eric, I've seen the girls you hook up with, remember? You should have given that girl Emily a chance. She was nice. I liked her," Sookie poured some of the tequila into her glass, and then opened a bag of honey wheat pretzels.

"She was awful in bed."

"There was no hope of fixing that? I mean sometimes you have to train 'em a little," she said as if she had experience in that arena.

"I'm not interested in teaching. She had no confidence, like she was ashamed of her own body. That's not sexy at all. But what about you? You like training them?"

"I wouldn't say that I _like_training them, but sometimes it's a necessity. I've had my share of not so good times with guys who thought they had it wired and didn't know shit," Sookie took a big swallow of her drink. "Oh God," her eyes rolled.

"Good?" I asked.

"Amazing," she smacked her lips and grabbed a pretzel stick. "Okay, time for sappy country songs."

"Can't we skip right to the angry phase?" I whined. "I was planning to be a good friend, but I despise that shit."

"Okay, fine," she sighed, and grabbed her iPod from the charger. "Angry chick rock it is!"

"Good," I grinned, and grabbed a beer to start. "At least I can pretend it's manly music."

"We'll see if you still feel that way after I've screeched along to 'You Oughta Know' for an hour straight!" she called from the living room, and then the music started.

I followed her in, and plopped down on the couch. "Are you going to dance for me tonight?"

She snorted and then plopped down next to me before she said, "If I drink enough of this I might."

"So do you want to talk about it?" I asked, figuring the direct approach was best with her.

Sookie shrugged and said, "I wanted to marry him and he didn't want to marry me. What else is there to say? He knew how I felt when we got back together. I knew how he felt when we got back together. I was an idiot thinking he was going to change his mind. I should have just walked away, but noooo... I had to do the desperate girl thing and hang on to a guy. He's an asshole, but I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, you're hopeful. You always see the good in a person. He is an asshole, I'll give you that," I said. I really hated that guy. "This will be a good thing in time."

"Sure it is! I can trade in Sully, by a whole mess of cats and start scaring kids on Halloween with my bitter, spinster costume, which, incidentally, will be the same clothes I wear every day," she said dramatically and I laughed. "It's not funny, Eric! I'm going to end up old and alone."

"Jesus Christ, you're how old?"

"Twenty-six," she said quietly, but quickly added, "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"You think that, at twenty-six, you're in danger of becoming a spinster?" I scoffed. "You're young, you're fucking hot, you have a career you love and a home of your own. You're independent and confident, and you have plenty of years still to find someone to share yourself with. Stop being so melodramatic."

Sookie drank more of her tequila and rested her head against the back of the couch. She put her feet up on the coffee table, crossing her bare legs at her ankles. Her head rolled toward me and she said, "I should just start dating guys like you. You know... guys who don't want a commitment. Maybe I shouldn't be serious about anyone for a while and see what happens. Those girls on _Sex and the City_can have sex like men. Why can't I?"

"It's not a bad thing to have sex like a man, but honestly, you deserve better than dating a guy like me," I admitted. "You know what you want out of life, so you need to find a guy who wants the same things. Just take some time to be single for a while before jumping back in again."

"Oh, I'm not dating again for a while. There might be a cheap one nighter in my future, but that's it," she sighed and drained the rest of the tequila from her glass. "I should have brought the bottle with me."

"You sure a one nighter is what you need right now?" I asked.

"Well not tonight," she laughed a little harder than necessary.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know what I mean. You never come out of those feeling good about yourself."

"Can you just let me have the fantasy that it will fix me? It will keep me from changing playlists," she said and got up off the couch.

"I'm only looking out for you."

"I know," she smiled at me and then went to the kitchen to retrieve the bottle of Tequila Rose. When she came back she refilled her glass and then sat down Indian style next to me. "We're one heck of a pair, aren't we? I can't find love, and you're always running from it."

"I'm not running from love," I protested. She was always on me about that. "And you can too find it, you just haven't found the right one yet."

"Okay, I'm officially calling bullshit," she said in an animated fashion. "Every single girl you've 'dated' since I met you, you've come up with a reason to dump her before things got too serious. You're going to have to let someone in eventually, Eric."

"Maybe I will, _eventually_."

She shook her head and said, "I realize it probably doesn't mean much coming from me right now, but believe me when I tell you that you're missing out. The hardest part about breaking up with Alcide is losing my friend," her eyes started to water. "Even if things weren't clicking on a romantic level, he was always a good friend."

"Hey," I said, and pulled her into me so she could cry if she wanted to. "If he was a good friend, he wouldn't have strung you along for so long."

She nodded, but by the way she was breathing I knew she was crying. Sookie tried to disguise her sniffles, but when she sat up again there were tear tracks and mascara smudges under her eyes.

"It takes two," she shrugged. "It's not fair to blame him for everything."

"I guess, but you were always clear about what you wanted. Your only mistake was believing he'd change."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again she said, "I don't want to talk about Alcide anymore. Let's just drink way too much and play cards or something."

I wanted to press on with the Alcide stuff to get it out of the way, but it was best not to piss her off. She'd open up more about it later.

"I vote for Bullshit," I said, and reached for the decks of cards she had on the shelf under her coffee table.

"Works for me," she said and drank everything in her glass. "God, I forgot how delicious this is."

"What did you do with the pretzels?"

"In the kitchen," she took the deck of cards from me and started to shuffle them.

"I'll get them," I said, and got up. "Want anything else from in there?"

"Bring the Jameson. Every hand someone loses, they take a shot," she said and moved to sit on the floor instead.

"Good plan," I grinned, and went to the kitchen to retrieve the alcohol, food, and shot glasses. When I came back in the room, Sookie was looking mopey again. "Stop it."

"What?" she asked innocently. "I wasn't doing anything."

"You're feeling sorry for yourself again," I said, and sat on the floor in front of the table. "Why feel bad that you're losing someone who doesn't want the same things as you?"

"You've never been in love before, Eric. You don't get it," she shook her head.

"Maybe not, but that makes me someone who can look at things objectively. Maybe you should listen to me."

"Or maybe you should try to understand that it feels like a death, but he's not dead. He's out there, living his life and doing whatever he wants, but I don't get to be a part of that anymore. It hurts, okay? I can't just turn it off because it makes _you_uncomfortable."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable, Sook," I said seriously. "It makes me upset, to see you so upset, and I want to make you not so upset. And I'm sure he's not just out there living it up. Losing someone like you probably hurt him too."

"Eric, can we _please_just not talk about this anymore? I really don't want to think about him right now. I know you want to help me and I really, really appreciate it, but I need to process all of this on my own," she said sadly and handed me the deck of cards.

"Sure, Sook," I gave her a small smile. I definitely didn't want to make things worse.

Sully came over and lay down next to her on the floor, setting his head in her lap. "You know, Sull, you're the only man in my life that I can count on sometimes," she said as she petted his head, and I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me?"

"You know what I mean," Sookie looked up at me. "You know you're my best friend."

"And you know you can count on me for anything, right?"

"I know," she said, and lay back, shifting her legs so her feet were planted on the floor. She reached up and grabbed the iPod remote from the coffee table. She scanned through songs until she found one she liked. "Yes! Grease!"

A brief flash of happy passed through me before I went into panic mode. My love of musicals was my deepest, most guarded secret, and I didn't want her to have that kind of ammunition on me.

"Ugh, I hate Grease," I complained, but focused on dealing out the cards.

"Shut up! I know you know the words to this song," Sookie said and started to sing the Olivia Newton John part.

"Everyone in the free world knows the words to this song," I rolled my eyes.

"So? Sing it with me," she insisted. "I should get a pair of pants like the ones she wears at the end of the movie. What good is my big ass if I don't show it off?"

She was definitely buzzed.

"You would look so hot in that outfit," I admitted. It really wasn't a secret that I found Sookie to be a hottie.

"I'd probably have to be sewn into pants like those though. That's a lot of work for pants. She should have worn a skirt. You know, like... a skirt," she sat up and reached for the tequila.

"She did have to be sewn into those pants," I said.

Sookie raised an eyebrow in my direction and said, "That was random."

"Just something I saw on TV once that stuck," I shrugged.

"Oh! New rule!" Sookie grabbed the bottle of whiskey. "Anytime someone mentions Alcide, a shot must be taken."

"By both of us? Because that is a fast, fast way to get you plastered."

"Either that, or it's a good way to make sure that he doesn't come up in conversation again," she set the bottle on the coffee table. "You in, or are you afraid I'll drink you under the table again?"

"Oh I'm in," I agreed. "You couldn't drink me under the table if you tried."

"I don't know... I seem to recall someone losing his shit after three Jagarbombs last summer," she taunted.

"But there is no Jagar here."

"Convenient," she stuck her tongue out at me.

"I'm strategic," I grinned.

"Yeah," she snickered, "we'll just use your word to save time."

"Uh huh," I laughed. "Let's just play cards."

"Fine," she shrugged and then started flipping through the songs on her iPod. "You might get your wish. I feel like dancing."

"As long as you don't make me dance with you, we're good."

"You danced with me at the bar's Christmas party," she reminded me. "You weren't even drunk either."

"Fine, but Sully can't watch."

"Because he might video it on my phone and then put it on YouTube for the whole world to see?" Sookie gigglesnorted. She was rapidly approaching drunk.

"Yes, for that exact reason," I laughed.

"Dork," she muttered and reached for her glass.

"I feel like you're probably not into cards right now," I said, and set the ones in my hand down. "I vote for dancing then."

"No, no, we can play. I'll be serious," she took a quick drink and picked up her cards. "What are we playing again?"

I laughed as I took the cards from her hands. "That's exactly why we're dancing. Stand up."

Sookie got up, but it was obvious her coordination was suffering some. She grabbed her drink and finished off what was in her glass, and then picked up the remote from the table.

"Hard rock, or pop music?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Whatever you want," I said, and got up too. I drained the rest of my beer, and went to get a glass for some Jameson.

"Oh! Eminem!" she called out and then shortly after that, rap music followed.

"I can't dance to this," I hollered back.

"Yes you can! Get back in here and I'll show you," she shouted back at me.

"This should be interesting," I mumbled as I walked back in to find her in the middle of an... interesting dance move.

"I don't expect you to be able to do this," she said while she was bent into a slightly awkward position, "but we'll figure something out."

"Alright," I said as I set my glass down. "Teach me."

"Here, let me get a different song going," she pushed a couple of buttons on the remote and something with a beat that could actually be danced to started to play. "Stripper music," she giggled at me, and then put my hands on her hips.

"Isn't stripper music for chicks to dance to?" I asked, but went with it.

"Just shut up and do what I tell you to," she said and wiggled in front of me in a way that was very fun to watch, but she probably shouldn't keep doing.

"Yes, Yoda."

Over the next half hour Sookie made a series of moves that tested my self-control. Thankfully, the tequila started to really catch up with her and when she complained that Alcide never danced with her, she took her first shot of Jameson.

"Ugh, this stuff is awful," she made a face after she swallowed the liquor.

"But it does wonderful, wonderful things," I grinned.

"Is it just me or is it really hot in here?" she asked, lifting her t-shirt to fan herself.

I sighed dramatically and said, "It's me."

"I want to go stick my head in the freezer," she said, and started stumbling toward the kitchen, presumably to make good on her proposal.

"Hey now," I said, and grabbed her hand to pull her back. "I think I'm not drunk enough yet. We need to focus on that."

"No one's stopping you from drinking while my head is in the freezer. Besides, I didn't eat dinner," she giggled and started walking again. Well, sort of walking.

"If you eat now, you're going to lose momentum."

"I wasn't planning to eat," she opened the freezer door and sighed with relief. "Mmm... much better."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, let's talk about the man of the hour again while you're cooling off."

"Who would that be?" she asked while rubbing an ice cube on her forehead.

"Your ex."

"Nope, not going there. I don't want anymore Jameson," she shook her head. "You know what I want? A shamrock shake. I would give my left tit for one of those right now."

"We'll freeze the Jameson rule for right now then. And too bad, because we're both too drunk to get one."

"Why do you want to talk about him so much?" Sookie took her head out of the freezer. "Oh my God! Are you gay? Is that why your relationships with chicks never last? It is, isn't it!"

"Yes, Sookie, I'm gay. I'm gay, and I'm in love with your ex boyfriend."

"I knew it!" she giggled. "Your mother is going to be so disappointed when she finds out that she won't be having any grandchildren."

"Oh shut it. I'm not gay. I just read online that you're supposed to get the girl to bitch about the ex while drunk."

"Where did you read that?" she laughed. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I can bitch about him just fine when I'm sober. Now all I want is to get cool... and maybe a little naked."

"No, no," I said, and started backing away. "You are not getting naked with me here."

"I wasn't suggesting that!" she rolled her eyes and slammed the refrigerator door. "And you are obviously not drunk enough or you wouldn't care."

"Then help me get more drunk."

"Am I supposed to tackle you and force feed you Jameson?" she attempted to push herself up onto the counter. "And where's the chocolate? If I can't have a milkshake, chocolate will do."

"Right here," I said, and tossed her a bag of Dove chocolate from the table. "And I'm getting there. It just takes me longer. I'm not as tiny as you."

"So go get the bottle, mister," she pointed to the living room, and then ripped into the chocolate.

"Alrighty."

I went to get the bottle, and grabbed my half empty glass too. "So if I get drunk enough, will you finally let me see your tits?" I asked when I got back to the kitchen.

She snorted and nearly choked on her chocolate. Once she dislodged it from her windpipe Sookie looked me dead in the eyes and said, "If you get drunk enough, yes, I will show you."

"Very nice," I grinned, and downed what was in my glass, then filled it up again. "I've always wondered what your nipples are like."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. That's a big thing for guys. I think you probably have the little pink, perky nipples."

Sookie looked down her shirt, then up at me and gave a coy smile when she said, "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Tease," I grinned, and took another drink. My throat burned, but I was finally starting to feel a good buzz. "If you want, I'll show you my cock."

"Uh, no, that's okay," she said and stuffed another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

"What? You don't want to see it?" I was legitimately shocked. "Don't girls wonder about that shit?"

"Sure they do, but I don't know... it'd almost be like seeing my brother naked," she cringed. "I might be drunk, but I'm not _that_drunk."

"Does that make me a perv for wanting to see your tits?"

"No, I think it makes you a guy. A _straight_guy," she giggled and threw a piece of chocolate at me.

"Hey, don't throw that shit. It was expensive," I said, and started looking for the little piece on the floor. "And yes, I'm quite straight. I've never had a thing for fucking guys up the ass."

"You could be a bottom," she said and I nearly whacked my head on the kitchen table in my rush to stand up.

"Oh hell no," I said, and went after her. She didn't move fast enough, and I was able to pick her up off the counter and carry her to the couch, where I proceeded to find all her most ticklish spots. "Say uncle!"

"Never!" she squealed and wiggled under me. "Hey! I bet," she paused to laugh, "I bet if you were under a chick you wouldn't care!"

"What the hell would that even be?" I asked, genuinely interested. "Like, being fucked up the ass by a girl?"

"I don't know," she continued to laugh so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I'm going to pee if you don't cut it out!"

"Then say I'm not gay!"

"I said you were straight when you wanted to see my boobs," she tried to curl into a ball. "If I show you now, will you get off of me?"

I stopped, and sat back. "Deal."

Sookie rolled off the couch and headed for the kitchen, giggling as she went.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna need another shot of Jameson for this!" she called out.

"This is gonna be awesome," I said to myself giddily, and made myself comfortable on the couch.

I knew Sookie had taken her shot when I heard her make that same gagging sound as before, and then she came back into the living room with a goofy smile on her face.

"You better etch this into your brain because it's never happening again," she warned me.

"Wait, before you show me, we need to agree on how long I get to look. I don't want any of this crap where I only see for a split second."

"Okay," she shook her hair back over her shoulders. "How long do you think is fair?"

"A full minute."

"What? No way!"

"Okay fine, thirty seconds."

She stared me down for a minute but then said, "Fine. Thirty seconds, but that's it."

"Awesome," I said, and tossed her my cell phone. "Use the stopwatch on it."

"I can count," she tossed the phone aside.

"You can also lie."

"So you count," she shrugged. "Do you want anything to obstruct your view?"

"Nope," I said. "Okay then. Whenever you're ready."

Sookie took a deep breath, turned around and took off her shirt. It felt like time stopped as she slowly turned around and dropped her hands.

"Holy. Shit." I said. My jaw was hanging slack, and my dick definitely stiffened in my pants. Her boobs were fucking perfect. So round, and soft-looking. I wondered if she'd let me touch them. I wondered if I could ever get a one night stand out of her. No, I needed to focus. Tits. Boobs. Sookie's boobs. Don't drool. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been staring at them.

"Ten more seconds," she warned me.

My eyes widened, and I refused to let myself blink for those last ten seconds. Best tits ever.

"Annnnnnnnnd time," Sookie said and covered her chest with her hands.

"Fuck," I said, and finally blinked. "I'm not gonna lie here, I got a half chub."

She turned bright red, wrapped one arm over her boobs and bent down to pick up her shirt. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Oh I did," I said. "Now I just have to figure out how to get you to let me touch them."

"Awww you should have bargained for that," she snickered and turned away from me to put her shirt back on.

"I didn't know they were going to be _that_awesome at the time! Also, the alcohol clouded my judgment."

"Poor baby," she teased and then flopped on the couch.

"Can I just..." I reached out to her chest, but she slapped my hand.

"You had your chance," she giggled.

"One day," I sighed.

"Don't hold your breath," she sighed and sat up a little more. "Besides, they're just boobs. I see 'em every day. They aren't that special."

"To you, maybe. But I'll definitely get to touch them one day."

"Oh really? And why would that happen?"

"I don't have a clue, but I'm thinking that one day you'll tell me that you find me irresistible, and you'll ask me, no, you'll _beg_me to touch them."

"Ha! You better quit drinking," she laughed and then intentionally fell off the couch. "Ever notice how much more awesome the floor is when the room feels like it's spinning?"

"Can't say I have," I chuckled, and followed her lead.

She closed her eyes and smiled, "I love this song."

"You like all the songs on your iPod."

"Of course I do," her eyes were still closed. "But I really love this song. Like if I could have only ten songs to listen to for the rest of my life, this one would be on that list."

"I wish I felt as passionately about anything as you do about music."

"There's my boobs," she nudged me and laughed some more.

"Yeah, those just moved to the top of the list," I grinned.

"You won't even remember them tomorrow," she patted my stomach.

"Oh yes I will," I said, and rolled over so I could crawl to her. "I'm remembering those for the rest of my life."

"Well, aren't you close all of a sudden."

"Does that make you uncomfortable?" I asked.

"No," she turned on her side.

"Sometimes," I said, and briefly wondered if I should continue, but the alcohol was really going to my head. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to kiss you."

"Be serious," she snorted.

"I am being serious!"

"Okay, so what brought that on?" she flipped onto her stomach.

"Jameson?"

"So this is just a random, drunken thought and not something you sit around your house thinking about, right?"

"Right," I nodded.

"Good to know," she said and then shocked the hell out of me when she leaned over and kissed me.

It wasn't just a quick peck either. It was a full on kiss that led to open mouths and tongue and everything, and when she finally pulled away, I was kind of breathless and giggling.

"Damn, Sookie."

"And to think, you turned down naked me earlier," she shook her head. "You're a pretty good kisser, Northman. I am pleasantly surprised."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Surprised? You thought I'd be bad?"

"I don't know... guys who look like you usually rely on their good looks to compensate for a lack of skill," she shrugged.

"Well I pride myself on my skills. Both in kissing, above and below the belt, and in the actual sex."

"Good for you, tiger," she patted my shoulder.

"Just ask me anytime, and I'd be happy to demonstrate," I offered. "You could use some good oral, I'm guessing."

"Oh my God, we are _so_not talking about that," Sookie covered her face.

"Why? Was Alcide really bad at it?"

"Seriously! Not. Talking. About. It."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not. It's weird to talk about it with you. I should make you drink like 4 shots for bringing this up," Sookie rolled onto her back.

"Okay, where's the bottle?"

"Still in the kitchen," she sighed and closed her eyes again.

"I'll be right back. Don't move," I said, and slowly got on my feet.

"Not going anywhere."

"Good," I said, and retrieved the bottle from the kitchen, slowly. I never should have gotten down on the floor. Standing up was like torture all of a sudden. Just as carefully, I got back down on the floor next to Sookie and took a couple swigs from the bottle before handing it over.

"I don't know if I should have anymore," she stared at the bottle with uncertainty.

"Sookie," I stared at her. "Thought you were gonna marry the guy."

"Me too, but what does that have to do with drinking more whiskey?"

"No, I meant you thought... never mind. Just trust me. More whiskey equals good feelings."

"Fine," she sighed and took another swig. "Ugh, that was disgusting."

"Wanna go back to the pink shit?"

"I think I need to go to water for a little while or I'm going to puke and pass out before midnight," she sat up slowly, pulling herself up with the help of the coffee table.

"Will you bring me back some too? That's a good idea."

"Sure," Sookie got up like it was no big deal and went to the kitchen to get us both some water. When she came back she handed me a glass, and then sat down next to me. "You know," she smiled into her glass of water, "I made out to this song once when I was in high school. Jason caught me."

"Oh yeah? Want to make out to it again?"

"Mmm, I don't know. You're a good kisser but that guy?" she fanned herself. "Amazing."

"Who the fuck did you kiss in _high school _that is better than me?"

"His name was Jake. Alcide and I had broken up for like, two weeks, and I ended up making out with Jake at a party," she shrugged.

"Then I would like to prove to you that I am a better make-out-er … or whatever," I said, placing my hand over my heart in a pledging sort of way.

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

She giggled like she was fifteen and said, "Oh sure. We'll make out, you can feel me up and then tomorrow it'll be like it never happened."

"We're two grown adults. I think we can be mature about this," I reasoned, but really, I just wanted to touch her boobs.

She put her glass down on the coffee table and asked, "How many of your female friends have you made out with in the past?"

"All... of them?"

Her jaw dropped in surprise. "You've made out with every female friend you've ever had?"

"Oh, I thought that was a euphemism for the women I've slept with," I laughed. "You're the first chick friend I've had, so, none of them."

"Not even Pam?" she teased.

"Oh god, the images," I groaned, and covered my eyes.

"She seems like she would be a good kisser," she said and she had to be fucking with me.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Just a thought," she shrugged. "And also, this is payback for that Alcide oral sex crap from earlier."

"Oh come on!" I sighed. "I still stand by that. I'll bet he was a selfish lover."

"Why do you even care? So you can show me what it's _supposed_to feel like?" she rolled her eyes.

"Yes," I said, honestly. "Every woman should experience a selfless lover in her life."

"I absolutely agree with that, but come on, Eric, we're not those kinds of friends," she said and took another drink of her water.

"Well I think you're just deflecting because you know I'm right about him being kind of selfish in bed," I said, and turned to look her in the eyes. "It wouldn't have to mean anything. It would just be me, giving you the best head of your life."

"That's pretty cocky of you, considering Alcide isn't the only sexual experience I have in my life," she snorted.

"But you loved him, and doesn't love make it better or some bullshit like that?"

She narrowed her eyes at me and said, "Sometimes, yes, it does. Sometimes a girl just wants to get off."

"And don't you just want to get off right now?" I asked, giving her my best sultry eyes.

Her face flamed again and she said, "Maybe, but I can take care of that all by myself just fine, thank you very much."

"Or I could take care of it for you. I'm your friend, you trust me, and you know I won't push for sex."

Really, I wasn't sure why I was trying to coax her into this, but my upstairs brain wasn't really working right.

"Is this your approach with the ladies?" she wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Here, let me get that for you," she mocked.

"It's worked more often than you know," I said, picking up the bottle of Jameson again. "Frankly, I'm just a little on edge, and I thought helping you out would help me out."

"So you thought you'd come over here, get me drunk and then talk me into... whatever it is you're trying to talk me into?"

"No, the helping you out sexually thing came somewhere between the 5th or 6th shot of Jameson."

"I see," she sighed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Something."

"Okay, fine, I'm just... I don't know how to feel about this. My drunk brain is all kinds of on board with this plan of yours, but that teeny tiny bit of me that's still sober thinks it's a terrible idea. I just... I don't know what-"

Just to shut her up, and also to see if she really was on board with my plan, I leaned over and kissed her, hard, and much to my happiness, she kissed me back.

"Do that again," she said when the kiss broke and we looked at each other.

"Yes ma'am," I grinned, and pressed my lips against hers once more.

**SPOV**

Sweet baby Jesus in his manger, Eric was a good kisser. Like scary good. Yet, there was a part of me that hoped I wouldn't remember it in the morning because no matter what he said, or how mature we were, it would be sort of awkward. The last thing I wanted was a friends with benefits situation, and definitely not with Eric.

I probably should have stopped kissing him but the last thread of sobriety was silenced by the tequila and whiskey making their way through my system. In no time, my brain was completely on board with the making out plan, and God knows what else Eric had up his sleeve.

"Okay," I gasped for air when his lips moved to my neck, "I take it back. You're the better kisser."

"Glad you've finally come to your senses," he smiled against my neck, and kissed back up to my lips.

I shifted my position and climbed into his lap, which he didn't seem to be expecting. "Too much?" I asked when I pulled back.

"Hell no," he grinned.

"How about now?" I grabbed his hands and put them on my chest.

"Still a hell no. Not sure I can ever get too much of these," he said as he massaged them with his massive hands.

We had been going at it for a good ten minutes or so when my hips started to move against him in a slow, rhythmic pace that definitely got him going. I started to wonder if his invitation to show me his good was still on the table, but decided it was best if I leave that alone. Making out was one thing, but I would _not_have sex with him.

"Still not too much?" I asked when I was sure he was at full chub status.

"No," he said, his voice rough, and deep. And then he surprised me by flipping me under him. "Is this too much?"

"Nope," I wrapped my legs around him.

"What about this?" he asked as he ground himself against me.

I countered by pulling his shirt off. "What do you think?"

"I think you're asking for one hot make out session, that's what I think."

I wiggled around a little but managed to get my shirt off as well. Eric's eyes glazed over as I said, "Yeah, I think you're right."

He didn't say anything as he dipped his head down to familiarize himself with the girls. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him draw one of my nipples into his mouth. This was so _not_how I saw the night going when he originally pounced on me. The strange thing was that it didn't feel strange. Whether it was the alcohol or that little bit of attraction we had to one another I didn't know, but it didn't feel weird like I thought it would.

Eric spent ample time at my breasts before I pulled his face back to mine. I pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him again. My hand glided over his denim-clad erection, and his eyes rolled back into his head. I told myself that leaving him hanging wasn't cool, especially if I was going to let him go down on me.

Yet, when my hand moved to the fly of his jeans he tensed up.

"Want me to stop?" I asked as I popped the button.

"Not really, but I don't want you pissed at me tomorrow either."

"I'm not going to fuck you, Eric, but I won't leave you hanging either. Besides," I leaned down and nibbled his neck, "didn't you offer to show me your cock?"

He growled and grabbed my hips hard. "You aren't going to make it easy for me _not_to fuck you, aren't you?"

"You're going to have to settle for a good ole fashioned hand job," I said and reached into his jeans. "No underwear?" I smirked.

"Never liked them much," he shrugged and then moved his hands to my ass. "Your ass is fucking amazing, Sook."

"Thank you," I said and then wrapped my hand around his cock.

"Fuck," he breathed against my lips.

I kissed them softly and then moved to his ear when I started stroking him. "Do you have any idea how wet I am right now, Eric?" I whispered.

He growled against and one of his hands slipped down the back of my shorts and under my panties so he could feel for himself. I gasped when I his fingertips grazed my entrance and my hand twisted on the next upstroke around his cock. Our lips met again while our hands kept moving in all the right ways.

Eric didn't push for sex, but if I would have offered it I had no doubt he would have gone for it. But then he surprised me by rolling us over again. He hovered over me and stilled my hand.

"I need to taste you, Sookie," he said in that rough, deeper voice. "Can I taste you?"

I nodded and watched the smile spread across his face. He kissed his way down my body and when he started tugging on my shorts I lifted my hips for him so he could get them off. He sucked in a breath and I realized I was naked. I started to move my hands to cover up, but he stopped me.

"Don't. You're beautiful, sweetheart," he said so sincerely that it made my heart ache a little. "If you want to stop-" he started.

"No, I'm okay," I cut him off.

"Good," he grinned and then slowly spread my legs.

I watched him watching me, and felt my heart beating wildly in my chest. Alcide wasn't selfish, exactly, but he wasn't very good at going down on me either. It wasn't his favorite thing on the menu and it showed. Judging by the way Eric was licking his lips he didn't feel the same. He kissed my inner thighs, his eyes never leaving mine. There were kisses on my lower lips and then a long lick that made me freeze.

"Look at me, Sookie," he said, and when my eyes met his he really went to work.

I won't bother comparing Alcide to Eric, but I will say that Eric was definitely more enthusiastic than even I anticipated he would be. Eric wasn't kidding when he claimed to be good at oral sex. He backed up his claim tenfold. He knew exactly what he was doing, no instruction necessary. All I had to do was lay there and try not to squirm around too much. Easier said than done.

The man was a master with his tongue. Jesus, my hips wouldn't stay still. He tried to hold me down, but the more noise I made the more aggressively he went at me. Eventually he grabbed onto my hips and moved along with the way they were rolling and thrusting toward his face. His lips closed around my clit, his tongue flicking against it just right.

"Holy fuck! Don't stop, Eric," I moaned and grabbed his hair roughly. "Don't you fucking stop!"

He growled and the vibration made my eyes roll back into my head. I felt one of his fingers at my entrance and I gasped. Our eyes met again as it slid into me, and Eric broke the seal of his lips around my clit.

"Fuck, you're tight," he groaned, and then slid a second finger into me. "You sure you don't want to fuck?"

God, I was so close to changing my mind, but I knew there would be no coming back from that. Eric would be a rebound, and it wouldn't end well. I didn't want to lose my friend because we were drunk and stupid. The sex probably would have been fantastic, but would it have been worth it in the long run? No, I didn't think it would.

"Eric," I said apologetically.

"Someday," he winked at me and then went back to work.

The build up was magnificent, and when I came I thought my back might stay permanently arched. He placed one last kiss on my clit and then got up on his knees to lick his fingers clean. His eyes blazed and he was still hard as a rock. I forced myself to my knees and pulled his face to mine. I could taste myself on him, and as we resumed making out, my hand wrapped around his cock and started stroking him again.

Eric's hands were all over me, alternating between tugging my hair and playing with my breasts. It crossed my mind how easy it would be to bend over the couch and let him fuck me, but I just couldn't let myself take that step. Instead I stroked him faster and with extra twists of my wrist. His hips started t to thrust against my hand.

My brain to mouth filter was gone so it probably took him by surprise when I said, "Your cock is so fucking big. It would feel amazing inside me."

He pulled my mouth back to his with one hand, and the other went between my legs to rub my clit fast and hard. I gasped in surprise, and rode his hand while I stroked his cock. Finally I felt him swell a little, and his balls got a little tighter.

"I'm gonna come," he warned me.

Seconds later he made good on his warning and came on my stomach. I followed right behind him. We were a sweaty, panting mess. He kept kissing me, which I didn't mind at all, but I was a little on the sticky side. I reached for a box of Kleenex on the end table, but Eric stopped me.

"Shower?" he suggested instead.

I giggled and said, "Sure."

What harm could it do at that point? We had already seen each other naked.

**EPOV**

I followed Sookie back to her bathroom, appreciating her nakedness the whole way. I couldn't believe that she'd really just given me a hand job and let me go down on her, and I wasn't entirely sure sex could have been much better than that. She was, in a word, fuckawesome.

She turned the water on, and let it warm up before pulling me in with her, a big smile on her face. I wondered if we'd regret this in the morning. Well, I wondered if _she_would regret this in the morning. I was all about living life with no regrets, and I certainly never regretted a good orgasm, which she gave me. The point was, though, that I'd made her smile, and forget about the jackass for at least a little while.

"You look good all wet," she giggled and reached for the soap.

"As do you," I grinned, appreciating the view.

"Think it'll be weird between us when we wake up tomorrow?" she handed me the bottle of soap that smelled like apples.

"It's only weird if we make it weird," I said. "I think we can wake up knowing we were friends helping each other out."

"Okay," she shrugged and turned to rinse herself off.

"I'm gonna smell like an apple," I said as I lathered myself up.

"Yeah," she laughed. "It'll be an improvement."

"There is nothing wrong with my current soap," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"I'm sure there isn't," she said, running her hands over her breasts as she talked.

My eyes widened slightly, and I couldn't help but stare at them.

"I'd tell you to take a picture, but I know you'd actually do it," she smirked, and then covered them up with her arms.

"I can't help that you have awesome boobs," I said. "Now scooch so I can rinse."

She moved out of the way to let me rinse and when I turned to look over my shoulder I caught her eyes staring right at my ass.

"I'd tell you to take a picture..."

"You shush!" she reached out and slapped my ass, and then stuck her tongue out at me.

"Hey now! Hands off the goods! That was a one-time thing."

"I know," she reached for the shampoo. "Besides, you'd probably get bored with me in three days and then we'd end up throwing a six year friendship down the drain."

That kind of sobered me up. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"Eric, you know I love you, but I also know you. Relationships of a romantic nature just aren't your strong suit. I know this, and I accept it. It's who you are," she said casually, as if it didn't bother her at all.

"Okay, but I don't like the idea of you thinking I'd just get bored with you and ruin our friendship for some sex."

"I think you would give it an honest try and if things got serious you'd freak out and tell me we'd be better off staying friends. Of course, by then, it would probably be too late for me and that would be the end of our relationship period. I love you too much to lose what we've already got by letting sex get in the way," she said sincerely and then slithered around me so she could rinse the shampoo out of her hair.

I frowned, and said, "Your lack of faith in me is disheartening."

"Eric, give me an example of a single relationship you've been in since I've known you that would make me think otherwise," she looked me dead in my eyes.

"You know I can't," I said. "I'm not saying you're wrong about me, just that maybe I'm not sure I like that you're right."

She smiled sympathetically and reached out to touch my arm. "Then do something about it. If you're unhappy with my assessment, do something to change it. But what I think doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. You're my best friend."

"That's sweet of you, Eric, but what you do with your life is your decision. Maybe you're not the guy that's going to get married and have kids. There's nothing wrong with that. If you're happy with your life, that's all that matters. If you're not, then you do whatever you need to so that you are," she stepped closer and kissed my cheek.

"You're too good to me," I said.

"Back at ya," she smiled and reached for yet another bottle.

"Jesus girls have to do too much in here."

"And you haven't even seen what I can do with a razor," she smirked and poured whatever was in the bottle into the palm of her hand.

"Ugh, well, I'm done. I used the apple soap on my hair. I'm just going to go towel off and put my clothes back on."

She laughed and said, "You're such a guy."

"And proud of it," I grinned. "Take one last good look at my ass, 'cause it'll be covered again in a minute."

"Ha. Ha. Just remember the same is true for my boobs," she taunted.

"Oh, well in that case, do you mind if I just stand here and watch you finish showering?"

"Oh my God, get out of here!" she threw one of those puffy things at me and I left the bathroom laughing.

I wrapped the towel I had grabbed from the bathroom around my waist, and made my way to the living room to get my clothes. I was dressed and flipping through channels by the time Sookie came out again.

"I feel much better," she said as she bent to pick up her clothes from earlier. She was dressed in a fresh pair of shorts and a tiny tank top that left little to my very over-active imagination.

"Me too," I grinned, and then yawned. "And tired."

"Yeah, that would be the buzz wearing off. It wasn't so late I'd order a pizza. I'm oddly hungry," she said and went to the kitchen to rummage in her fridge. She ended up coming back with cold pizza. "Forgot I had this yesterday for dinner. Want some?"

"Sure," I said, and took a slice.

When she was done Sookie went back to the kitchen, washed her hands and came back with a bottle of water. She took a big drink and then passed it over to me.

"I should take some aspirin before I go to sleep. I always have a horrible headache after I drink tequila," she sighed and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to be feeling that Jameson tomorrow."

"I'll go get the pills before I forget and pass out by accident," she got up slowly and went back toward her bedroom.

When she didn't come back five minutes later I went to go check on her. Sookie was passed out on her bed with the bottle of Tylenol in her hand.

I smiled at her sleeping form, and crawled into bed next to her. There wouldn't be any use in waking her up, so I set the bottle on her bed stand, and covered her with her blanket.

"Sleep tight, Sook," I whispered as I curled up beside her and laid my head on her chest. It would probably be my last chance to enjoy them, and I was taking it. Not two minutes later I was out like a light.

Hours later I woke to the sound of the toilet flushing in the bathroom. My eyes opened just as Sookie came out of the other room. Her eyes were a little bloodshot, and if I didn't know any better I would think she had sex hair.

"Morning," she grumbled and then stumbled back to bed, climbing over me to get back to her spot.

"Ow," I groaned as I started feeling again. "What the hell did I drink last night?"

"I don't know," she whispered, "but whatever it was, I must have had a double."

"You do look like hell."

"Careful," she smirked with her eyes closed. "You look like you were having a very good dream."

"I do?" I asked.

She patted around until she found my hand, and then she opened her eye just enough to place it accordingly. "Yep."

"Oh," I snorted. "Yeah, I'm a guy, this happens. Don't go thinking it's about you."

"I didn't say it was," she rolled on her side. "Whatever you made me drink last night... I hate you a little."

"I kind of hate me too right now," I admitted. "It was probably that Jameson I bought. I can't even remember what we did. I swear to god if you made me do anything humiliating and took pictures again..."

She giggled and then groaned. "Hey, I didn't force you to try on my old prom dress. That was all _your_idea."

"Was not!" I said too loudly, and then moaned in pain. "I hate myself."

"It so was," she continued to laugh. "Those pictures are what will keep you from running for office someday. Who would have thought that shade of pink would be so perfect for you?"

"Shut it, Stackhouse."

"Such a pretty, pretty princess," she teased. "We need to get up. I'm starving. Let's go get greasy breakfast and see if we can piece together what we did last night. I'm wearing different clothes, so something must have happened."

"And I'm pretty sure I smell like apples," I noticed, and sniffed my arm. "Why would I smell like apples?"

"I use apple soap and you slept next to me," she shrugged, and sat up. "Come on, let's go and then we can come back here and watch movies or something."

"Okay fine," I grumbled, and let her drag me out of bed.

Sookie grabbed a pair of pants out of her dresser and put them on, and then went to the bathroom to brush out her hair. She came out a minute later with her hair up and I tried not to react when I saw her neck. There was definitely a bruise or a hickey on the side of it.

"You ready to go?" she asked, oblivious to what I saw or she would have said something about it.

"Um, yeah, Sookie? You have a hickey."

"Shut up!" she ran to the bathroom again and looked in the mirror. "What the fuck? Eric, what did we do last night?"

"I don't know!" I said. "Do you think we made out or something?"

She was quiet for a minute and I walked to the bathroom to see her scrutinizing the small mark on her neck. There was an odd sense of pride I felt at being responsible for it, even if I couldn't remember how it got there.

"Maybe," she said distractedly. "I don't remember, though. I swear to God, the last thing I remember is trying to play cards with you, and I vaguely recall something about dancing to Eminem. The next thing I remember is waking up and cursing the sun with your head on my boobs."

"You mean I finally got up close and personal with your boobs, albeit your covered boobs, and I don't even remember it?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Poor you, and you don't even remember."

"I know! This sucks balls!"

Seriously, it did. It was no secret between Sookie and me that I really, really liked her rack.

"Well, maybe it'll come back to us after the hangover goes away," she sighed, but left her hair up and that mark on her neck on display.

"I can't believe I possibly made out with you and can't even remember it," I sighed. "Fucking alcohol. All my ideas suck."

She laughed and said, "It's not that big of a deal, Eric. It's not like we had sex."

"Oh shit, I didn't even think of that. You'd be able to tell, right?" I asked.

"If you're in proportion everywhere, then yeah, I'm sure I'd be able to tell," she smirked and walked out of her bedroom with me following behind her. "I need to let Sully out before we go eat."

"Oh, I'm definitely in proportion. My question was stupid. You'd totally be able to tell. You wouldn't even be walking right."

"Is that right?" Sookie grabbed Sully's leash and he came trotting over so she could attach it to his collar.

"Yes it is," I grinned. "And I don't even care if you think I'm being cocky. That's the subject anyway."

"Yeah, I don't need to know any more details about your junk, thanks," Sookie grabbed her keys off the hook by the door, and then flipped the deadbolt over to let us out.

"So, where are we going to eat?"

"It's a bit of a drive, but I was thinking Mr. A's so we can get some of that greasy, truck stop style food you love so much," she suggested and then whimpered when she stepped out into the sunlight. "I hate tequila!"

"And I hate you yelling," I groaned. "Mr. A's sounds really good actually. My treat since I brought the alcohol in the first place."

"Deal. I promise not to yell anymore," she smiled over her shoulder at me while Sully dragged her to the nearest tree to mark his territory.

"And I'll do my best to put out the sun for you."

"See? That's why you're my best friend. Even if you _did_give me my first hickey since I was seventeen."

"It's really been that long since you had a hickey? Hickeys are awesome. I bet you even enjoyed getting it."

"Oookay," she rolled her eyes. "Look, whatever happened last night, it changes nothing. We're not hooking up, got it?"

"Oh I got it," I grinned at her. "You couldn't handle hooking up with me anyway."

She full out laughed. Doubled over at the waist, clutching her sides, whimpering how much it hurt her head laughing.

"What the hell?"

"Oh, sweetie, you're just so precious... do you remember what I'm like when I have PMS? I think you block it out on purpose," she wiped at _actual tears_that were on her cheeks.

"I'm ignoring you now," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fine. I'll just play with Sully," she reached down and scratched the dog between his ears. "You're my main man anyway, aren't you? Yes you are. Yes you are."

"He's a dog, Sookie."

"Yeah, but he never lets me down," she said without looking up at me.

"I never let you down either," I said, kind of on the quiet side.

Sookie was quiet for a moment, looking like she was lost in thought and then she slowly turned toward me and asked, "Didn't we have a conversation like this last night? I was lying on the floor petting Sully, and I made a similar comment and you got all offended, and then a song from Grease started playing. Do you remember that?"

I thought hard for a minute, but all I got out of it was a headache.

"No, I don't remember it."

"Well, then I'll say it again. Eric, you're my best friend. I know I can count on you," she smiled at me and shielded her eyes from the sun.

"Good," I smiled. "As long as you know it."

"Come on," she reached for my hand, "let's go get breakfast."

I took her hand in mine and smiled. Friends for life, I just knew it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello faithful readers! Scribe here. So that was fun, right? Mostly makesmyheadspin and I are amused that we all know these two hooked up before Mexico and they don't. It's slightly evil, but fun. I hope everyone enjoyed this little peek into their life pre-Can't Stop and you guys still have the Red Wings outtake to look forward to (I guess -_-) and the sequel of course. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	39. Outtake: Mirror Mirror

**Right, so I was derpin' around, checking out my tumblr dash late last night and I saw this pic that got my attention. My mind went straight to these two and this is what resulted. It's quick 'n dirty, but Scribe assures me that Eric completely approves of this outtake. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Outtake: Mirror, Mirror<span>

It was about a month after we were married, still smack dab in the middle of the honeymoon phase. We were supposed to be going to Jason and Pam's for dinner. I was in the bathroom getting ready. My hair was done, just straightened for a change, and I was working on my makeup. All I had on was my bra and panties.

We were already running late thanks to Eric's grabby hands in the shower so I was focused on getting my makeup on. So focused, apparently, that I didn't hear Eric sneaking up on me until I saw his reflection in the mirror in front of me. He had _that look_in his eyes.

"Eric, we don't have time," I said, but he pulled my panties down anyway. "Eric..."

"See what you do to me?" he rubbed his cock against my slit. He was hard as a rock.

My breath caught and I didn't even get to brace myself before he thrust into me. I cried out and pitched forward from the force of it. He grabbed my hips and began pounding into me fast and hard. I stared at his reflection in the mirror, and he was watching himself fuck me. I was going to have to get better at anticipating his sneak attacks or we would never be on time for anything ever again.

"Goddamn, sweetheart, your pussy feels so fucking good," he thrust into me harder. "When we get home I'm going to tie you to the bed and fuck you until I can't move."

"Oh God," I whimpered, knowing he meant it.

He reached around and rubbed my clit. I braced a hand on the wall in front of me, and he moved my hair out of the way to kiss the back of my neck. He sucked a little harder than he needed to, no doubt making sure he marked me.

"Can we just say home and fuck all night?" he grabbed my hair again to turn my head.

"No," I said, but sounded like a good idea.

My pussy started to pulse and squeeze around his cock, and he just fucked me harder. I didn't think that was possible.

"Baby, I'm so close," I moved back against him.

"I know," he said and then just for the hell of it, he slapped my ass. Hard. Then he did it again, and again, and again until it had to be red. "I want to watch you squirm, sweetheart. Every time you shift I'll know it's because of this, and how hard it makes you come when I take what I want."

His words pushed me over the edge, and I came so hard I saw stars. Eric came a moment later, deep inside me. When he pulled out he put my panties back where they belonged.

"Don't change them," he ordered, and slapped my ass once more for good measure.

I was still trying to catch my breath when he leaned over and gently kissed my shoulder.

With love in his eyes he looked into mine and said, "Thank you, Sookie."

He swaggered out of the room with a cocky smirk on his face.

Dammit. Why did I ever say yes to dinner plans?


	40. Outtake: Trouble

**Those of you who wanted more of a dom!Eric to appear, here you go. This is most definitely not safe for work and if you're not really into the rougher lemons then this outtake won't be your cup of tea. It takes places about six months after they were married, not that the timeline for these outtakes really matters. Enjoy the smut!**

* * *

><p><span>Outtake: Trouble<span>

I don't know what got into me, but while I was cleaning the house one Saturday morning I got it into my head to tease Eric while I did it. I don't mean verbally, but in little ways as I worked. One of the things that I loved most about my relationship with him was how playful we were a lot of the time. Even though we had been married for about six months it wasn't unusual for us to get into a play wrestling match on the couch, or to chase each other around the house because he stole my iPod or I had rearranged his DVDs again. We had fun together.

Our life was only boring if we wanted it that way.

So when the load of laundry in the dryer finished I grabbed the clothes out of it and brought them to the living room to do my folding. I sat down on the floor and proceeded to get to work. As I folded I made piles, stacking shirts with shirts, pants with pants, etc. Only when I was finished I left the piles on the floor right where they were and went to the kitchen to get the dusting supplies.

Eric eyed me from the couch where he was watching one of his Harry Potter movies. I just smiled at him and kept walking. In the kitchen I got my supplies from under the sink, and then went back to the living room.

"Sweetheart?" Eric said with a bit of an edge in his voice.

"Yes, dear?" I answered while I bent over to start dusting an end table. It just so happened my ass was within reaching distance for him, and I knew he was getting quite the view thanks to the teeny boy shorts I had on.

Eric groaned, which made me smile. "Do you want me to take the clothes upstairs?"

"No, I've got it. I just want to get this done first," I smiled over my shoulder, knowing my ass was going to be a constant distraction for him.

I performed a series of tasks, always making sure my ass was in full view for him. I ignored him like he wasn't even there, and went about my chores. Occasionally I would do something that I knew pushed his buttons, whether it was pausing to stretch or getting in his line of sight to block his view of the TV. I could feel him watching me, and the tension in the room was mounting.

When I had taken it as far as I could without being too obvious about what I was doing, I picked up the piles of clothes and my dusting supplies, and headed for the stairs. Eric didn't follow me, but I was counting on that. Upstairs I put the clothes away and then went to his office with my dusting supplies to clean in there. I knew he would be able to track my footsteps from downstairs, and it always sounded like a herd of elephants whenever he was on the stairs. I bided my time and when I heard him coming, that was when I knocked over his wand collection. He got to the office door just in time to see me on my knees, 'scrambling' to pick them up.

"Drop them," he said with that gritty edge in his voice.

None of the wands were breakable. He knew I knew how important those were, and he also knew I would never damage them. They were perfectly safe. But I also wasn't supposed to touch them, and I knew that.

Oops.

I put the wands down on the floor and started to get up.

"Don't move," he ordered, and my breath caught. I had definitely poked the sleeping bear one time too many.

Yay!

"Stay right there," he said, and then disappeared down the hall.

I stayed on my knees, wondering what he was doing. When Eric came back a few minutes later he had a blindfold in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other. My breath caught, and when he came toward me with that look in his eyes I knew so well, I knew my boy shorts would be soaked in no time.

He tilted my chin up and said, "You've been teasing me all morning, sweetheart. Be careful what you wish for."

He slipped the blindfold over my eyes, and then he knelt down to put the handcuffs on me, securing my hands behind my back. My heart began to race, and then he was lifting me up off my knees. Without a word he walked me over to the desk, and bent me over it so I could feel the cool wood under my cheek.

"Stay here," he said and then there were retreating footsteps.

I tried to track how long he was gone, but couldn't keep up. It felt like a long time, but it was probably only a few minutes. When Eric finally came back he stood behind me, at least I thought he did. His fingers trailed up the back of my thighs, and then there was something cool and smooth touching me as well. I had no idea what it was.

"You've been naughty this morning, Sookie. You did it on purpose," he said, and moved my hair away from my neck. He knew me well. "You know what happens to naughty little minxes around here, don't you?"

"They get fucked. Hard," I said smugly.

"Is that what you wanted, lover?" he asked, and the use of a different pet name he had never used before made my knees shake a little. I liked the sound of it, although it was strange to hear since he had been calling me sweetheart for so long.

He spread my legs and I felt something soft and furry rubbing against the inside of my left thigh, and then my right. It took me a moment to figure out what it was he was touching me with—the paddle from the bondage kit I'd bought for our first Valentine's Day. My breath caught again at the thought of him using it. He had done it once before because I was curious as to what it felt like. It hurt, but in the good way. Especially when his fingers went…

"Twelve times you bent over and presented yourself to me, Sookie, but didn't let me take you. There were seven piles on the floor that should have been picked up immediately, but you left them there to tease me. By my count, that means you're getting nineteen licks with this," he said and lightly tapped the leather side of the paddle against my ass.

I groaned and would have rubbed my thighs together if they weren't already spread apart. He tugged my panties down to the middle of my thighs, and rubbed the furry side of the paddle over my ass, teasing me and building up the tension until I was ready to beg him to get it over with already. Then the first lick landed on my right cheek and I yelped in surprise.

There was the familiar sting that came along with being spanked, and it was quickly followed with a matching strike on my right cheek. In between licks he would rub the spots he'd hit with the softer side of the paddle, and I felt his fingers slip between my folds, testing to see how wet the spanking was making me.

"You like being spanked like a naughty little girl, don't you?" he taunted.

"Yes," I gasped, and he spanked me with his hand instead of the paddle.

"Yes what?" he asked, falling into his role perfectly.

"Yes, sir," I said quickly.

"That's my good girl. Fifteen to go," he rasped, and kissed the small of my back.

One at a time the blows landed on my ass, alternating from one cheek to the other. I could feel the heat rising there, even though he wasn't hitting me too hard. The whole point of this wasn't to inflict any real pain and he knew that. I would be feeling the spanking for a while, but it wasn't about bruising me up or leaving crazy marks on me. It was just a reminder to "behave." For us, it was just a game.

His fingers continued to tease me, rubbing up and down my slit, or entering me for a few moments before he would spank me some more. The last five of the blows were the hardest, but Eric made sure to rub against my g-spot at the same time. I came impossibly hard, and my knees gave out so it was a good thing I was bent over the desk. He reached over and removed my blindfold, but kept the handcuffs on me.

Before I could get myself together enough to speak I felt Eric rubbing the head of his cock up and down my slit, and then he entered me hard from behind. He grabbed my wrists and held me in place while he pounded into me fast and hard. The slapping against my already tender backside was a reminder of the punishment I'd just received, but it felt too good for me to tell him to slow down. He reached forward and grabbed my hair to pull my head back a little.

Eric leaned over me and whispered, "I could fuck you like this for hours, sweetheart. Maybe when we're finished here I'll cuff you to the bed, get out the Hitachi and make you come until you pass out."

I whimpered and sucked his finger when he slipped it into my mouth. He took it away before I could get too accustomed to it being there, and then slapped my ass while he continued to fuck me. I cried out with the added pain since I was already sore, but it felt so good. Eric pulled me upright, and then back with him when he sat down in the chair behind his desk. He held my hips, guiding me up and down since I didn't have use of my hands to brace myself like I usually would.

He nibbled and sucked on my neck, and when my hips rocked instead of lifted his hands went to my breasts so he could pinch and pluck my nipples. When Eric started to get close to his orgasm he reached around in front of me and teased my clit while he thrust up into me. My body shook with each of his thrusts, my orgasm so close I could almost taste it.

When it exploded I pitched forward and nearly fell off his lap. If it wasn't for the arm that snaked around my front to hold me to his chest I'm sure I would have. The pleasure I felt was intense, as was the roar that came from Eric when he emptied himself inside me. I slumped against him and felt his body go limp under mine. He placed a line of kisses along my shoulder and up my neck to my ear.

"You are perfect, Sookie," he said, and nibbled my ear.

"You're not so bad yourself," I turned my head and kissed him sweetly. "Thank you, Eric."

"Anytime, sweetheart, anytime," he winked at me.


	41. Outtake: Freedom of Speech

**Hello, faithful readers! So I've been asked by a couple of people about how Eric and Sookie first met. I thought it might be fun to touch on that a little bit so I mentioned the idea to Scribe, who readily agreed it could be fun to go back and fill in some gaps. Then I suggested doing this in interview format since that's a little different from the way we usually roll. Technically, I don't think we're supposed to post chapters that are formatted this way, but oh well. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll take this down and post it to my livejournal or over on tumblr instead.**

**So here we have a lovely little chat between Scribe, Eric, Sookie and myself. I feel I should warn you that Eric has loose lips and there _are_ some spoilers in here for the sequel, so if you don't want them read on at your own risk. It's nothing _too_ big, but there _are_ spoilers.**

* * *

><p><span>Outtake: Freedom of Speech<span>

_Meg and Linds walk in to find Eric and Sookie making out and pawing at each other. He's dressed in his usual jeans, button down and sweater vest. Sookie's wearing a cute little summer dress with her hair pulled back. Meg clears her throat loudly, and the fooling around on the couch quickly comes to a halt._

Sookie: Sorry, that was my fault. I'm having a hard time keeping my hands to myself these days.

Meg: We're used to it. *looks at Linds and giggles*

Linds: What do you know? You have the girl in your brain. I'm stuck with Eric and sexsexsexboobsboobssex all day in mine.

Meg: *shrugs* You should be used to that with NerdStud hanging around in there.

Sookie: *looks at Eric* Is that really all you think about all the time?

Eric: Well … I'd say about- yeah, it's really what I think about all the time.

Sookie: *shakes her head, but she's smiling at him*

Meg: Sookie has plenty of those thoughts too, for what it's worth.

Sookie: Meg!

Meg: Well, you do.

Eric: Do you?

Sookie: You know I do.

Eric: But is it sex, or is it kinky stuff? Or is it just an image of my penis in your brain, all day?

Sookie: All of the above? What can I say, sweetie, you've made an impression on me.

Eric: *looks smug and cocky*

Linds: *rolls her eyes*

Sookie: So, what are we all doing here?

Meg: Some of the readers were interested to hear the story of how you two first met. Would you be interested in sharing that with them?

Eric: You mean I could tell them how clumsy Sookie is?

Sookie: *gasps* Or how Eric is the reason sexual harassment laws were invented?

Meg: *laughs* Was he really that bad?

Eric: No, I wasn't.

Linds: *coughs*

Sookie: *laughs & elbows Eric playfully* I think that's her very polite way of calling bullshit, honey.

Meg: Well, you _did_ flirt back. You told me so in those wedding vows you made me write down.

Eric: See? I only flirt if it's returned, and you totally returned it.

Sookie: Well, yeah, because I thought you were trying to mess with Pam by picking up one of her friends. I didn't think you were serious.

Eric: Bullshit. You wanted me.

Meg: What did he say? *looks back and forth between Eric and Sookie*

Sookie: Oh it was so lame. I'm pretty sure it was a Harry Potter pickup line of some sort.

Meg: You don't remember the first thing he ever said to you?

Eric: It was _NOT_ a Harry Potter pickup line!

Sookie: You're right, it wasn't. I think it was something like, "Pam, I don't have time for this shit right now. We have a full house here. Mooch later."

Eric: I didn't say that to you, I said that to Pam.

Sookie: So why can't I remember what you said to me? Do _you_ remember? *she looks frustrated* I can remember what I said to you, but I can't remember what you said to me.

Eric: I'm not sure I want to reveal what I said to you.

Linds: If you don't, I will.

Meg: *rubs hands together* Oooh this oughta be good.

Eric: Why don't you tell me what you remember saying to me, then I'll know if you're remembering the right conversation.

Sookie: I remember Pam introducing us and then I said, "Well, at least it isn't just _my _life she likes to make miserable."

Meg: *mumbles* Fucking Pam.

Eric: Okay. What I said was, "Another blonde with a nice rack, huh? Can you actually wait tables, or will you spend all your time trying to fuck my bartender?"

Sookie: Yes! How did I forget that?

Linds: I apologize on his behalf.

Sookie: *shrugs* It worked out okay, didn't it?

Meg: I probably wouldn't have wanted to come back if he talked to me that way.

Sookie: But look how cute he is! *reaches over and pinches his cheek*

Eric: Yeah, yeah I'm just adorable. In my defense, I was having a hectic day, and Pam had brought me failures before. Sookie didn't actually turn out much different than the others anyway. Minus the trying to fuck the bartender part.

Sookie: So I guess now is the wrong time to tell you that I made out with James once?

Meg: Who is James?

Eric: What? What the fuck was with that guy? Did he have a fucking magical dick or something?

Linds: Eric, language. And she didn't fuck him, she just made out with him. Sheesh.

Sookie: I don't know if his dick was magical, but he was a pretty good kisser. And thank you, Linds.

Linds: You're welcome *smiles*

Eric: *glowers*

Meg: I still don't know who James is. *looks confused*

Sookie: He was one of the bartenders, and he hooked up with just about every waitress that worked at the bar. I didn't make out with him while I was working there, though. I just had a few too many one night and-

Eric: I really don't want to hear this story.

Linds: Oh calm down, cause I do. Continue, Sookie.

Sookie: *pats Eric's knee* It really wasn't a big deal. I had a few too many drinks and he offered to walk me out to my car after closing time. You were busy dealing with some kitchen issue so I let him walk me out. I don't even really know how it happened, but it did. It was a one time thing, not the start of some secret affair I never told you about. Quit acting so butthurt about it.

Eric: I'm not butthurt about it! I just... that guy was such a... sleaze, and while I'm glad you never actually fu- *glances at Linds* had sex, with him, it still grosses me out that he probably had his hands on your boobs.

Sookie: Considering some of the girls you hooked up with, I would be really careful about that.

Eric: I know you're right, but that doesn't mean that didn't sting.

Sookie: Would it help if I said you are _by far _the much better kisser? Because you are.

Meg: Awwww look at you stroking his ego... *fakes a gagging noise*

Eric: *ignores Meg* Yes, that does help.

Sookie: Besides, I was only twenty. *shrugs* I shouldn't have been drinking in your establishment to begin with.

Linds: Eric! You could have lost your license!

Eric: Suuure, blame me for you having loose lips with the sleazeball.

Linds: ERIC!

Sookie: I wasn't blaming you! *takes her hand off his knee and folds her arms over her chest*

Meg: *mumbles* Uh oh.

Eric: I'm sorry. I'm just being hormonal.

Meg: *eyeballs Eric* Say what?

Eric: You know, when the daddy gets the pregnancy symptoms.

Meg: Oh hell. Well that explains the fight you two had in that chapter Linds and I were working on the other day.

Linds: Eric... we kind of didn't want to reveal that just yet.

Eric: Oh, who cares? They know we have one, why can't they know we're having another?

Meg: *facepalm*

Sookie: Just don't let it slip what we're having then. *shakes her head* So back to when Eric and I first met, yes?

Linds: Yes, let's hear about how much of a slut Eric was back then.

Eric: I was so not a slut.

Meg: You were a little.

Sookie: He wasn't a slut... he just hadn't found anyone worth sticking around for.

Eric: Thank you, sweetheart.

Sookie: You're welcome. That said, the night we met he spent more time talking to my tits than he did to me.

Meg: I knew it!

Eric: *shrugs* Can you really blame me?

Meg: It's not exactly polite. I mean, if you've got a daughter cooking in there do you want some dude eyeballing her rack all night long?

Eric: My daughter, if we ever have one, will not be allowed to date until she's twenty, at least, and by then she will know that guys like that aren't worth her time.

Sookie: *laughs* Your logic is so flawed, sweetie.

Eric: I'm okay with living in ignorance until the day she comes home with a crush and breaks my heart.

Sookie: Just as long as you realize that if we lived by your logic, you and I wouldn't be married.

Eric: Living. In. Ignorance.

Meg: *rolls eyes*

Sookie: So the night we met the bar was completely packed, and Eric was behind the bar. He was wearing this tight, black t-shirt-

Meg: Yummy.

Sookie: Right? Pam dragged me through the crowd to the bar and introduced us by prefacing that I was looking for a job, and she thought I would be 'good for business.' I was pretty sure that was a boob reference, but I was used to that with Pam. More than once she offered to do monthly breast exams for me, so it was nothing new.

Meg: *sighs* That Pam.

Eric: I should note that I'm the one who does the breast exams now.

Sookie: Yes, that's true. So anyway... Eric, outside of staring at my boobs like they were the only ones he had ever seen-

Eric: Again, can you blame me?

Meg: *rolls eyes*

Sookie: Eric didn't seem all that impressed with me. I think the only reason he agreed to give me a chance was because of my boobs, to be completely honest. I had no waitressing experience, and I wasn't even sure I really wanted to work there. I just needed a job at that point.

Eric: I gave you a chance because you were Pam's friend.

Meg: So what did you think of Eric when you first met him?

Sookie: Well, it wasn't love at first sight.

Linds: Not every great love story is.

Eric: I will say that my love affair with her boobs did begin that night.

Sookie: Yes, I think we established that already, honey.

Meg: How do we always end up talking about Sookie's boobs?

Linds: I told you already. sexsexsexboobsboobsboobs

Meg: Right. Please continue, Sookie.

Sookie: Honestly? I'd be lying if I said I didn't think he was hot. I mean, hello... _look at him_.

Eric: *smirks* I was pretty freaking hot back then.

Sookie: Still are. *winks at Eric* But I wasn't sure about his personality. He was kind of a bitch to me.

Meg: *laughs*

Eric: Hey!

Sookie: Well you were! He was nicer to me after things slowed down a little bit, though. That was when the flirting started, as did the epic conversation with my tits.

Eric: I gave you a job, didn't I? I can't have been that bad.

Sookie: No, you weren't that bad. In some ways it was actually pretty amusing to watch since I wasn't the only girl you were flirting with that night.

Eric: *snorts* I don't doubt that. Flirting comes with the job.

Meg: So you didn't take it seriously then?

Sookie: Hell no. Pam had warned me about him before we even set foot inside the bar.

Eric: She did, huh?

Sookie: Yup. *chuckles* She told me she taught you everything you knew.

Meg: Oh snap! Is that true, Eric?

Eric: Hardly.

Linds: So Sook, there was no jealousy at him flirting with everything with a vag?

Sookie: No, there was no reason for it. I didn't know him, he didn't know me... we didn't owe each other anything. I actually had a boyfriend when I met Eric.

Eric: Who?

Sookie: His name was Kyle. I don't remember if you ever met him or not. I know he came up to the bar once or twice, but I can't remember if I ever introduced you two.

Eric: Did you fuck him?

Lind: ERIC! *shaking my head*

Sookie: All he ever got was a beej. And before you ask, yes, you're bigger.

Eric: *face gets a little red* Well I already knew that, but I don't like the image in my head right now.

Meg: Don't ask if you don't want to know.

Sookie: If it helps, I wasn't very good at it back then, so he didn't get the same quality work that you do.

Eric: I doubt you were ever bad at it.

Sookie: That's sweet of you, but I'm sure I wasn't the greatest. Anyway... the important thing is that there wasn't any jealousy. I don't think I started to feel jealous until Eric started talking to Isabel.

Linds: Why is that?

Sookie: Because I didn't like her. There was just something... off. I don't know. I mean, I knew Eric had money back then but I didn't know how much. I just got the feeling that she sniffed that out with him, and that was the real reason she was making the effort. Like, she didn't seem to know the most basic things about him that any girlfriend should know about her boyfriend. It pissed me off, and it really pissed me off that he *jerks thumb in Eric's direction* didn't seem to see it because he was too busy plotting how to get laid again.

Eric: I wasn't plotting how to get laid again, I was trying to settle down. Isabel was, at that point, one of the least obnoxious women in my life. I was attracted to her, and I thought I could try out monogamy. And it did last. I think Sookie's jealousy came from that more than anything.

Meg: Were you ever jealous of any of the guys Sookie dated?

Eric: Alcide. And Quinn.

Sookie: Quinn I knew, but Alcide? I thought you just hated him.

Eric: I did, and for that reason, among others, I was jealous that he was the one you were with.

Meg: So do you think you were in love with her back then and just didn't know what you were feeling?

Eric: Not in love, no. I think I had feelings for her that I didn't really know what to do with. Sookie was the only woman I'd ever been friends with like that. I think the fact that she never gave in to my flirting had a lot to do with why I could trust her, and that led to me having legit feelings for her. But that had never happened to me before, so all I could do was take it out mentally on the guys she was with. I remember comparing myself to them and wondering why she wasn't with a guy like me.

Sookie: It never occurred to me that Eric could be boyfriend material. *laughs* He was just... I didn't think he would be able to keep it together, you know? I thought he would get bored and move on, and we were such good friends that I didn't think it was worth the risk to try to push it.

Eric: Hell, you still thought that after Mexico.

Meg: Can you blame her?

Sookie: In his defense, I didn't know that Eric was ready to settle down at that point. He hadn't been really obvious about it, and his relationship with Isabel was so ridiculous. They were both trying too hard, from what I could tell. Nothing between them seemed genuine.

Eric: No, I can't really blame her. And she's right about my relationship with Isabel. I knew fairly early on that it wasn't going to go anywhere, but I stayed with her because I was trying to prove something to myself. Unfortunately, everyone else thought I stayed because I loved her, so that's why people thought I had taken the breakup so hard. Sookie knew better though, for the most part.

Meg: So what did you think of Sookie when you first met her? Other than, "Dude, her boobs are amazing."

Eric: *smiles at Sookie* I thought she was beautiful, and I was a little mad that she was Pam's friend, because I made a rule to never seriously go after any of Pam's friends. I thought she had spunk, and I looked forward to seeing what she was like.

Sookie: Awww, you're so sweet. *leans over and kisses him*

Meg: Why did you hire her?

Eric: Because she was Pam's friend and needed a job. I always took myself as someone who would give people a chance. Plus she was hot, so at least she'd be nice to look at.

Meg: *laughs*

Sookie: *rolls eyes* At least he's honest.

Meg: When did you know that hiring her was a mistake?

Eric: *snickers* Um, Sook, do you really want this to be known?

Sookie: I have nothing to hide.

Eric: It was after she had dumped a tray with no less than five drinks on it in the lap of a customer. And it wasn't the first time she'd done it.

Sookie: *laughs* I was a _horrible_ waitress. I can't believe you didn't fire me sooner, to be honest.

Eric: I was hoping you'd work out, but it became much too clear that you were just not cut out to be a waitress. Thankfully, she took it well when I let her go.

Sookie: I tried. When Pam suggested it I had a feeling it was going to end up in disaster, but it turned out okay.

Meg: So how did Sookie come up with the idea for mini-golf on Eric's birthday? I've always wondered about that.

Sookie: Well, it was mostly because I wasn't twenty-one yet, and the movie we were going to go see that first year was sold out. There was a mini-golf place across the street, and decided to give it a shot. It just sort of became a thing.

Eric: She beat me that first year, and I was determined to prove I could beat her, so we decided to go back the next year.

Meg: And the funnel cake? *side eyes Linds*

Linds: Whaaaa?

Meg: You have an addiction, my dear.

Linds: For an addiction, I don't get it that often.

Sookie: We don't either. Only on Eric's birthday.

Eric: You can tell the how on that one, Sookie.

Sookie: Oh that's easy! That was pretty much the only thing I had in my kitchen at that point. He'd never had it before, and at first he thought I was nuts when I suggested it.

Eric: But now I'm a convert.

Meg: Funnel cake _is_ delicious.

Linds: *nods*

Meg: Since you're both here, do you mind if we ask you about some other stuff?

Sookie: Go for it.

Eric: Shoot.

Meg: Okay, so there have been some people who reacted pretty harshly to Sookie's roller coaster moods, *pauses to make sure Eric doesn't go nuts* so I guess I'm just wondering how you deal with that since it's got to be frustrating sometimes. No offense, Sookie.

Sookie: None taken. I know I can be nutty.

Eric: The most important thing for me to remember is that she will work through it eventually, and I just have to be patient. It can get very frustrating, and sometimes I blow up right back at her, but most of the time I try to be the rock. When she freaks, I remain calm and let her, and when I freak she does the same. It's a give and take thing.

Sookie: Good answer, honey.

Eric: Thank you, sweetheart.

Meg: What's the worst fight you two have had to date?

Sookie: *looks at Eric while she thinks*

Eric: For me it was probably the one in the hospital, from the gift shop to when she let it slip that she loved me.

Meg: Yeah, I think we all wanted to box you upside the head for that one.

Linds: *smacks Meg* Leave him alone.

Meg: Bish, please! I was there when we wrote that. You weren't happy with him either so don't front.

Linds: Yeah, but he learned!

Meg: Hence the use of _past _tense in that sentence.

Sookie: *clears throat*

Linds: Sorry...

Sookie: *grins* No, it's fine. We don't mind watching you two argue. We're just glad it isn't us for a change.

Eric: No shit.

Sookie: As awful as that fight was in the hospital, something good came from it. To me, our worst fight was that really stupid one we got in over the trash bins outside the old house. *laughs* The fights that come from nowhere and are just for the sake of fighting, _those_ are the ones that bother me the most. Do you remember how out of proportion that fight got, Eric? Jesus.

Eric: *groans* Yes, that one was awful.

Meg: You fought over trash bins? Seriously?

Sookie: I told you it was stupid. I don't even remember how it got started. I think I put them in the wrong order, or something.

Eric: I think that was it. And you put too much in one.

Meg: Control freak much?

Eric: Not control so much as OCD, I think. Plus we were just due for a fight. The make-up on that one was nice though. *grins*

Sookie: It was, but you slept on the couch for three days before that happened.

Eric: My neck is still sore from that.

Meg: What about fighting with Ian around?

Eric: We try not to do that. If there's an issue, we save it to talk about after he goes to bed.

Sookie: It's actually a good thing because it forces us to pick our battles. By the time the kid goes to bed we're usually not mad about whatever it was anymore so it isn't a big deal.

Eric: I agree. Usually it gives Sookie time to realize why she's being irrational.

Sookie: *scoffs*

Eric: Love you, sweetie.

Sookie: Uh huh.

Meg: So, Sookie... *grins devilishly*

Sookie: Uh oh.

Meg: In Mexico... do you think maybe there's just a little part of you that went down there with a plan?

Eric: Oooh I'm interested in this answer.

Sookie: I went to Mexico because my brother and my friend were getting married. The rest was courtesy of Jose Cuervo and skewed judgment. Oh, and my irrational fear of ending up alone.

Meg: But you'd thought about hooking up with him before. And there was that other drunken incident that both of you blacked out on...

Eric: Yeah, I mean, are you sure you didn't come down there hoping to hook up with someone?

Sookie: There was that possibility, I guess, but I wasn't thinking that Eric was going to be that person.

Eric: I'm glad I was though. Could you imagine if it had been Sam?

Sookie: Aww I felt bad for Sam.

Eric: Which is exactly why it's a good thing it wasn't him. You never could have loved him.

Sookie: I probably could have, but I don't think I would have been _in_love with him. He was a good guy.

Eric: But he wasn't right for you.

Sookie: Obviously.

Meg: What did you think, Eric, when she kissed you in Mexico?

Eric: I... The kiss made me feel alive. Like I was doing this with someone who mattered, finally. It made me feel warm, and loved, and like I was finally on equal footing with someone. And then I tried to convince her we shouldn't. *chuckles*

Sookie: Yeah, why did you do that? Just because I was drunk, right?

Eric: It was mostly because you were drunk, yes. But also because the way you made me feel scared the shit out of me. I knew there wouldn't be any going back for me. It's why I tried so hard to convince you that it could work.

Meg: So it really bothered you when Sookie just wanted things to go back to normal the next day.

Eric: Oh, definitely. It's why I turned into a bit of an asshole. I wasn't surprised at her lack of faith in me, but I think I had hoped that she could find some.

Sookie: I don't think it was a lack of faith. Up until that point it wasn't like he had much of a track record when it came to relationships, and I didn't want to end up just another notch in the bedpost.

Eric: I really hate that you ever felt like that's all you'd become.

Sookie: I didn't know if I would, but I didn't want to take that risk. I didn't want to think of it as a drunken mistake because I didn't regret it, but if I had been sober I don't know if I would have done that.

Eric: And I hate that any of my actions made that an issue for you.

Meg: Obviously you were both in different places when you hooked up. Was it hard to find the common ground so you didn't feel resentment, I guess is the word?

Sookie: I had to remind myself all the time that I needed to take a step back and be a little more aloof. I tried not to push him too hard, but he knew how I was and what I wanted. It didn't make sense to me for us to stay together if he couldn't see himself wanting those same things.

Eric: Thankfully she gave me space to figure those things out, even if my new desires confused the hell out of her. Remember the "I'm okay with an oops" one?

Sookie: I still don't understand your logic there.

Eric: *sighs* It really wasn't that big of a deal. All I was trying to do was let you know that if we accidentally got pregnant, I wouldn't freak out and run.

Sookie: I know, but it just... I guess I couldn't wrap my mind around how an accident is okay, but planning was too much. I mean, it would have been one thing if we were already settled and married, and whatever happens, happens, but back then? It just... it still doesn't make sense to me.

Eric: I know what you mean, but back then, the idea of telling myself that I would be okay with planning for a baby was just too much. I really just wanted you to not have to freak the hell out if you ended up pregnant.

Sookie: Oh I would have freaked out no matter how you felt about it. *laughs* I wasn't ready at that point.

Eric: Yeah, but you would have had a double freak out when you thought about telling me.

Sookie: I probably would have ended up telling you in a text message.

Eric: Seriously? Wow...

Meg: Sookie, you wouldn't really do that, would you?

Sookie: At the time... *pauses* I honestly don't know what I would have done. If I took the chicken shit way out it wouldn't be because I was afraid of how Eric was going to react, but because _I _was freaking out. I don't know how else to explain it.

Eric: Well for the record, I would not have reacted well at all to being told I was going to be a dad through text.

Sookie: And I wouldn't blame you one bit for that.

Eric: Good thing we never had to go through that then.

Sookie: Yeah, finding out we were going to have Snitch was dramatic enough.

Eric: No kidding.

Linds: Huh?

Sookie: We got into a bit of a tiff while we were waiting for the results on the pregnancy test. *rolls eyes*

Linds: Seriously? About what?

Sookie: It was taking longer than I expected to get pregnant, and I was starting to think it wasn't going to happen naturally. I thought maybe I waited too long, or it just wasn't meant to be. I had one of my freak outs.

Eric: And it was one of those times that I had to remain calm and get her through it. But all my fear was gone when I saw that positive test. I'll never forget that feeling when I realized she was pregnant.

Sookie: I was kind of numb, actually. Like, I was happy, but... maybe drained is a better word?

Eric: Well you had worked yourself up so much right before we found out.

Sookie: Yes, I did. And then there's all the thoughts about everything that's going to change, and the things that can go wrong... my brain just gets too loud sometimes.

Eric: Even when we have sex, apparently.

Linds: Huh?

Sookie: Oh God, not this again! Where's a desk so I can bang my head against it?

Eric: Oh I won't get into it. I think we've agreed that it's just one of those fundamental differences between a man and a woman, and has no bearing whatsoever on my sex skills.

Sookie: Trust me, if I was unhappy with your skills I would tell you.

Meg: If I can interject here for a moment...

Eric: Of course.

Meg: Just for the record, she's never faked it. If she did, I would know. So you have nothing to worry about, Eric.

Sookie: I told you!

Eric: Thank you for confirming that, Meg, but I was already pretty sure she had never faked it. I guess it's the idea that she's thinking of something other than the fact that my you-know-what is in her you-know-what just bugs me.

Sookie: It's over-active brain syndrome, or something. I don't know.

Eric: It's fine. Like I said, I'm good as long as you're not faking it.

Sookie: So your mind never wanders?

Eric: No. *laughs* I'm usually thinking about how lucky I am that you let me have sex with you.

Linds: I can confirm this.

Sookie: *laughs*

Eric: That's why it's so weird to me that you're thinking about so many different things.

Meg: Have you settled the locked door debate?

Eric: Oh yes. I get laid more when it's locked, and Ian hasn't had a tragedy because he can't get in, so I'm a huge supporter of locked doors now. I should have listened to Sookie from the start.

Meg: *high fives Eric*

Linds: *proud*

Meg: Got any questions you want to throw in here, Linds? You've been awfully quiet.

Linds: I mostly enjoy voyeurism...

Eric: *facepalm*

Linds: Shut it, asshat!

Meg: That wasn't a question...

Linds: I was just saying that I've just been enjoying the conversation. But I do have a question. Sookie, have there been any moments since you realized that you love Eric, where you just know you made the right choice?

Sookie: *nods* I see little moments like that all the time. Most of them happen now when he's with Ian. I'll come home and catch them playing together, or Ian will be chattering away telling one of his stories, and Eric sits there so patiently listening to every word that boy says even though it doesn't always make sense, but he listens like it's the most important thing he could ever hear. They're really sweet together.

Linds: Awwww, you made me tear up. He really is sweet with that kiddo. By the way, I need to tell you two how much I love that kid. He's so adorable. You've both done a wonderful job raising him.

Eric: Thanks *beams* Sookie, does it turn you on when you find me being cute with our kid?

Sookie: Being a good father is very sexy, and you just happen to excel at it. So yes, it does. Very much. That's partially how we got this one. *pats her belly*

Eric: *rubs Sookie's belly* I can't wait to meet this one.

Meg: Have you talked about names yet?

Eric: Nope. But we really need to.

Sookie: Yeah, with Ian it was a no brainer. As soon as we found out it was a boy, we knew what we were going to name him. This time around we're actually going to have to do some research.

Meg: Ooooh, does that mean this one's a girl?

Eric: I wish.

Linds: ERIC!

Meg: Uh oh.

Eric: Whoops. We weren't supposed to reveal that were we?

Meg: Meh. We'll just let the readers know there are spoilers in here.

Eric: Just to be clear, I'm very happy to be getting another boy. I just want healthy children. But when I imagined our kids, I saw a little girl. I guess I'm just waiting for her to come along and steal my heart.

Sookie: I thought I already did.

Eric: You know what I mean. If we ever have a girl, she's going to have me completely wrapped around her finger.

Meg: Oh my God! What if she isn't a daddy's girl? *dramatic gasp*

Sookie: Shhhh. *covers Eric's ears* We don't talk like that around here.

Eric: She will not be a mama's girl. We already have a mama's boy, therefore the girls are mine.

Meg: I don't think Ian's a mama's boy.

Eric: Are you kidding me? Have you seen that boy when he's sick?

Sookie: Oh please! And who do you go whining to when you're sick?

Eric: I don't whine when I'm sick.

Sookie: *looks at Linds* Gurrrl.

Linds: *coughs* I plead the fifth.

Meg: Chicken.

Linds: Oh fine. Eric, you turn into a little baby when you're sick. And you totally go to Sookie.

Sookie: _Thank you!_

Linds: You're welcome.

Eric: Well I never.

Sookie: Only when you're sick. It's kind of cute, at first, but by like day three... nuh uh.

Eric: *eye roll* Whatever.

Linds: *pinches Eric*

Meg: Does Sookie have any annoying habits that drive you crazy?

Eric: Just how she can be unorganized.

Sookie: Oh my God! *huffs* I have gotten a thousand times better! *glares at Eric*

Eric: Oh I know! She really has gotten a lot better. As a matter of fact, she usually only gets bad about it now when she wants me to go all dominant on her sexually.

Meg: Oh really? *looks at Sookie*

Sookie: *giggles* Well, it's like with Ian... when you find something that works, you stick to it. Intentionally leaving little messes around the house works. So does hiding Eric's favorite movies, or rearranging the Light Saber collection.

Eric: The problem is that just her talking about that right now? I'm getting turned on. It's like she's reconditioning me.

Sookie: I think the best was when I stole all of the Harry Potter DVDs out of their cases and replaced them with James Cameron movies. *doubles over laughing*

Meg: You didn't!

Eric: Ohhhh she did, and I'm still not sure I forgive her for that.

Linds: I agree with Eric. That was like... one step too far.

Sookie: Okay, it's not like I threw the other DVDs away... I just hid them for a while. And in my defense I had swapped them out for like a week before Eric even noticed.

Eric: But you put JAMES CAMERON movies where my sacred Harry Potter's had been. That's just... it's just... Awful.

Sookie: I was very naughty.

Eric: And she couldn't walk right the next two days.

Meg: Damn. See, it sounds to me like you reward her for this bad behavior.

Sookie: Part of the time. *grins*

Eric: Oh she got one hell of a spanking that night.

Sookie: *bites lip*

Meg: Did you get her back?

Eric: Nope.

Sookie: See, he pretends to be annoyed, but he likes it.

Eric: No, I just haven't thought of anything awful enough to match what you did.

Meg: Come see me later. *winks*

Sookie: Traitor!

Eric: Why thank you, Megan. *smiles*

Sookie: I don't like this one bit. *huffs*

Eric: You can spank me if you don't like it.

Sookie: *smirks* No, I see handcuffs in your future.

Eric: I uh... we shouldn't talk about that in front of these ladies.

Sookie: So then I shouldn't tell you that once I had you cuffed I'd get out the hitachi and-

Eric: We need to leave. *stands up abruptly*

Sookie: But you didn't conspire with Meg for your prank...

Eric: I'll talk to her later. Let's go.

Sookie: But we were having such lovely conversation, and-

Eric: Stop stalling so I can take you home and fuck you stupid.

Linds: *giggles*

Sookie: *stands up* I apologize for my husband's caveman antics.

Linds: It's totally fine. Go get some!

Meg: Have fun, kids! Thanks for coming. *snickers*

Eric: Goodbye! *drags Sookie out*

Meg: Well, that was interesting. I'm shocked they lasted that long.

Linds: Me too. He's been sporting a half chub for like the last half hour.

Meg: *cackles* Of course he has. Maybe he's thinking about what's about to go down in that chapter we're working on.

Linds: Yeah, we should get back to that.

Meg: Agreed. See you there!

Linds: Bye!

Meg: *meanders over to chapter doc*

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, they're characters those two are. Keeping them on track is next to impossible, but that's the way it goes. Scribe &amp; I have a plan, but Eric &amp; Sookie just do whatever they want. Our control over them is so limited. Keep that in mind when we start posting the sequel, by the way. Hopefully some of that info in there clears some things up, or at least entertained you for a little while. We certainly had fun talking with them. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	42. Outtake: Sex Type Thing

**Okay, so this outtake came about because Scribe & I were talking about women using sex as a weapon in chat. She said she would be interested in seeing a man being the one to do the cutting off for a change, and I mentioned something about how I wondered what Eric's reaction would be if he caught Sookie checking out another guy. So, we fused the two concepts together, and this is what came out. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Outtake: Sex Type Thing<span>

Rejection. It fucking sucks. Especially when the rejection you're experiencing is coming from your wife when you're trying to get laid. She said she was tired and not in the mood. Really, it was fine, because for all I knew I would wake up with her lips wrapped around my cock. Sookie was kind of amazing about that stuff. She was also usually up for sex in the morning. She knew how to start a day off right.

But that didn't happen. She was gone to work by the time I woke up, and I was stuck hoping she'd be in the mood when I got home. In truth, it wasn't like our sex life was ever lacking. We fucked so frequently that I never had the chance to experience blue balls.

Work was normal. The bar was still doing excellent business, there were no issues with employees at the moment, and all the bills were paid. Life was good. Then I got home and heard the buzzing.

That fucking Hitachi.

Part of me wanted to go up there and finish her off with my cock, but the other part of me won out. That was why I waited until I heard her come before lowering the garage door again, and acting like I'd just gotten home.

"Sook, I'm home," I called out, and the dogs came running at me. I heard Sookie upstairs rushing around, and then she came down the stairs in her robe with her hair piled up on top of her head like she was just about to get in the shower.

"Hi! You're home early," she said breathlessly and pushed up on her toes to give me a kiss. "How was your day?"

"Eh, same shit, different day," I said, and gave her a slap on the ass. "Have you had supper yet?"

She yelped and said, "No, not yet. I was just about to hop in the shower, if you want to come with me."

"I think I'll pass this time. I'm starving," I said. If there was one thing that frustrated me about women, it was their ability to withhold sex from men. And it worked. Every fucking time. Now it was my turn. "What do you want me to make?"

"I won't be picky. You sure you don't want to come?" she asked, giving me the eyes.

Maybe it was that I still felt the sting of hearing her come from a machine, but it was actually quite easy to turn her down. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll have food for you by the time you get out."

"Okay," she shrugged, and kissed me one more time. "I'll be down in a bit."

For good measure, she slapped my ass on the way out.

Minx.

I went about making us some food, and strategically chose breakfast food, which Sookie loved to eat for supper. By the time she came back downstairs from her shower, I was putting the last pancake on her plate.

"Pancakes, a little scrambled eggs, and sausage," I smiled at her, and handed her the plate.

"You're amazing," she grinned.

"I know," I winked at her, and turned to pick up my plate. "What would you like to drink?"

"Do we have any milk left?" she asked while pulling silverware out of the drawer for us.

"Yeah, I'll get it," I said, and set my plate at the table so I could get us drinks.

Sookie sat down at the table and went straight at her pancakes. The noises she made when she ate... damn.

"Did you make these from scratch?" she asked with her mouth full.

"I did," I said. It was possibly not a good move to make something that made her moan like that though. Fucking man brain.

"You're my hero," she said, and took another bite.

"Well thanks," I grinned, and dug into my own stack of pancakes. I really was an awesome cook.

"Got plans for later tonight?" Sookie asked while she ate.

"Nope. I thought we'd just stay in tonight. Maybe watch some TV. Unless you wanted to do something?"

"That works for me," she smiled.

"Good," I smiled back. This cutting her off thing was going to be hard.

When we finished supper, I did the sexy thing and washed the dishes myself, refusing to let her help. After that, we curled up on the couch together to watch some TV, and I made sure to let her pick what to watch. Then I offered to rub her feet. I pulled out everything I knew got her in the mood, and had a brief moment of realization that I was the one losing out in this situation since I would be turning down an opportunity to get laid. It almost made me back down. Almost. Until I remembered our rules about the Hitachi. Evil piece of plastic.

By eleven Sookie was yawning, so I turned the TV off and took the dogs out so we could go up to bed.

"You can head on up, I'll lock up," I said to her.

"Okay," she gave me a sleepy smile and a kiss on the cheek before getting off the couch and heading upstairs.

I got the dogs back in the house and locked the doors before heading up to the bedroom. And when I got there, I realized that I was going to have to really commit to this cutting her off thing, because she was on the bed. Naked. Fuck me. Wait, no, don't. Dammit.

I imagined all the things I could to keep myself from noticeably getting hard, and then asked, "Is it that hot tonight?"

"No, it's just you," she winked at me.

I grinned at her and said, "Why thank you," then started undressing. I got down to my boxers, and went into the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. When I went back into the room, she was still on top of the covers, still naked, and I was still fighting mentally with my dick.

I climbed in, under the covers, and turned my lamp off before giving her a kiss on the cheek and saying, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

Sookie wasn't giving up that easily, however, and pressed her naked self against my back. Boobs against my back. Not fair.

"Eric," she whispered, and then licked my ear. I knew that tone. That was her sex voice.

"Yes?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as even as possible.

"I'm not really that tired yet," she whispered, and her hand started traveling to places I couldn't let her touch, or I'd give up.

I reached for her hand, and stopped her, gently. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm actually really tired."

I heard her breath catch and then there was a quiet, "Oh."

Fucking killed me. I was an idiot.

I rolled over to face her and said, "But I'm more than willing to snuggle you."

She gave me a smile that was nowhere near convincing and said, "I'll settle for that."

"Do you want to put some clothes on first?"

She looked at me strangely with a little bit of hurt in her eyes and asked, "Do you want me to?"

"I'm just assuming that you're only naked because you wanted sex. I don't mind either way."

Sookie stared at me for a minute, but then silently got up and went to the dresser. She grabbed flannel.

Fucking. Fuck.

When she climbed back in bed, I asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"I just thought with the dinner, the foot rub and all that stuff you were feeling a little more horny and a lot less tired," she said, and got back into bed after pulling on an over-sized t-shirt.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just being nice. The tired kind of hit me all at once."

"It's fine," she said, and arranged herself on her side so her back was to me.

"Is the snuggling off then?"

"Only if you don't want that anymore either," she said, and hugged her pillow a little.

"Sook, don't be like that," I said, and spooned up behind her.

"Be like what?" she asked, but that was a loaded question.

"Upset," I said, figuring it was safest.

"I'll get over it. Goodnight, Eric," she said.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

"Love you too," she said, but she sounded annoyed.

I decided to let it go before it turned into a full blown fight, and closed my eyes to go to sleep.

**oOoOoOo**

Sookie was likely still pissed at me the next morning, because she didn't wake me up in the way I like best. I wondered if I did the wrong thing, but ultimately decided that it was for the best. Maybe now she'd know how it felt when she told me she was too tired to bang.

I went to work hoping that I wouldn't come home to find a moody Sookie in a chastity belt. It was going to be a long day for me since I had to be there until close. It was inventory and order day, which was boring as fuck, and I usually took that mindless time to think about fucking Sookie, but I didn't even have that to fall back on because I'd been an idiot the night before.

That night I had to work the floor, and was more than shocked and elated to see Sookie walking toward me. She looked like sex. Sparkly black dress, lots of tan skin and shoes that would put her at the perfect height for me to bend her over my desk... All I wanted was to pull her into my office and fuck her stupid.

"Hi, sweetie," she said with a big smile as she walked toward me like she was wearing a comfy old pair of yoga pants and one of my t-shirts.

"This is a surprise," I said, and wished I could lean down and kiss her, but it wasn't really allowed.

"It's been a while since I surprised you at the office," she shrugged. "Besides, I felt bad about what a big baby I was last night. You're perfectly within your rights to be tired, and I shouldn't have made you feel badly about it, especially after you were so nice to me, so I'm sorry for that. Forgive me?"

"Of course I do," I smiled, and also felt really guilty for orchestrating the whole thing. "I'll have to drag you into my office later to show you just how much. You look amazing."

"This old thing?" she said, and slowly turned around, shifting just enough to let me get a little peek at what was under her dress.

I pulled her too me and whispered in her ear, "Are you wearing garters?"

She put my hands on her hips and moved them down slowly, "Yes sir."

"I love you," I growled in her ear.

"I love you too," she smiled up at me. "Looks like it's going to be a long night for you. Would it be too big of a distraction if I sat in the bar?"

"Of course, but I'll enjoy every second of it," I grinned.

"Well then, you know where to find me. You better get back to work," she sassed, and pinched my ass as she walked away.

I fucking loved her.

I kept making my rounds, checking on customers, occasionally stopping to talk to Sookie, and then it happened.

I was dealing with a waitress who'd just been rude to a customer, and glanced over at Sookie to find that she was noticeably checking out the ass of some preppy looking asshole next to her at the bar. I wanted to kick the guy out, and imagined with great pleasure my bouncer tossing him out the door, but I couldn't really kick a guy out just because my wife thought he was hot.

I excused the waitress and headed for my office to clear my head before I went back out there. I slammed my door behind me, and kicked my desk. She was wearing garters for fuck's sake. Why the hell was she checking someone else's ass? My ass was the only one she needed to be thinking about touching.

I couldn't even remember the last time I checked out another woman. It really wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. She could look at the menu all she wanted as long as she ate at home. But then I selfishly wanted to be the only thing on the menu. And what if she was only checking someone out because I'd cut her off the night before? Was it all my fault? Of fucking course it would be. That would teach me to think I could outsmart a woman.

I had some time to pace around and consider my options, and I also cooled down a little bit. There was a knock on the door about ten minutes after I got to the office, and Sookie peeked her head in.

"Busy?" she asked.

"Busy going out of my mind," I grumbled, and sat down on the couch.

"Want some company?" she asked, but didn't take a step further into the room.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I need to talk to you anyway."

"Okay," she said, and slipped into the room. She closed the door and then came over to sit next to me on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"I saw you checking out some preppy guy's ass at the bar."

"You what?" she asked, as if she wasn't sure she heard me right.

"I saw you checking out a guy at the bar," I repeated.

"Which guy?" she looked confused.

"You were checking out more than one guy?"

"Eric, I don't know what you're talking about!" she rolled her eyes. "What guy in the bar do you think I was checking out? There were dozens of guys out there."

"It was like ten minutes ago, he was standing next to you, and you were noticeably checking out his ass."

"Oh! You mean the tall guy with the dark hair?" she asked like it was no big deal.

"Yeah," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Eric, it was no big deal! It doesn't mean anything," she shrugged.

"It _is_a big deal, because it's all my fault."

"What's your fault? I've had eyes all my life. You didn't do that."

"Jesus, how often are you checking out other men?"

"I don't know!" she shrugged. "It just happens sometimes. It's not like I follow them around and sneak into the bathroom to give them handjobs or something. It's just looking. Besides, you see beautiful women here at the bar all the time. I trust you. I know you're not doing anything behind my back. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I don't check out other women, and I don't like that you check out other men. I know you're not doing anything, I just... I want to be the only one on the menu..."

"Eric..." she sighed.

"Nevermind," I huffed.

"Hey," she grabbed my hand. "You are the only thing on the menu, and you know it. I don't understand what the big deal is here. It's not like I would ever act on an impulse, _not_that I had one, but I'm saying that if I did, I wouldn't because you're it. End of story."

"I know. I'm just being selfish."

"Is that really all it is?" she laced her fingers with mine. "I'm not going anywhere, you know. You're stuck with me."

"I know. It's just that this is all my fault anyway," I sighed.

"Why is it your fault?"

"Because I cut you off last night when you wanted to have sex."

"You what?" Sookie asked with disbelief. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you cut me off the other night, and then I came home last night and you were using the stupid Hitachi. I got pissed and decided to turn you down last night if you came onto me because I wanted you to know what it was like to get rejected for sex," I said quickly and hoped she didn't slap me.

She let go of my hand and moved away from me on the couch. The temperature in the room felt like it dropped by about ten degrees and she said, "I didn't cut you off; I was really tired. I had a long ass day that I spent arguing with idiots about why they wouldn't be getting the highest tier of raises thanks to multiple write-ups or low scores on their performance reviews. On top of that we had someone in accounting that got caught stealing petty cash, so I had to do with that bullshit too. The last thing on my mind was making anyone else happy. I was perfectly happy to just snuggle up next to you and go to sleep. It wasn't some personal attack on you, or about trying to make you feel bad, or like I didn't want you."

"But then you used the Hitachi the next day?"

"Because I was horny when I got home, and I thought you were going to be home late," she said, and got off the couch all together. "You still would have gotten lucky when you got home. And how the hell do you know about that anyway?"

"I got home and heard you using it," I said.

"But you... I heard..." she sputtered while she put the pieces together. "I can't believe you," she shook her head.

"I know. I'm an asshole."

She snorted and said, "You know, I think I'm going to go home. I don't really want to be around you right now."

"Sookie, come on-"

"No. I came here to apologize to you because I felt bad about the way I behaved last night. I wanted to surprise you and do something nice, and I find out that the whole time you were just trying to teach me a lesson? No, I'm going home," she said, and started for the door.

"Wait," I said, and grabbed her hand.

"What?" she said through a clenched jaw.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Really sorry. And if it makes you feel any better, it all blew up in my face."

"Yeah, it did," she took her hand back. "I'll see you at home," she said, and walked out of the office.

"Fuck!" I shouted, and kicked my desk again. "Ow."

I'd fucked up royally, and was pretty sure I was looking forward to a lifetime of husband time out and sleeping on the couch. I wanted to go after her, but I had a couple more hours of work left before I could go. I was back on the floor when my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I scrambled to grab it in the hopes that it was Sookie calling. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her name, but then worried maybe she was warning me not to even bother coming up to our bedroom when I got home.

"Hello?"

"Hi," she said sadly, and by her tone I knew she had been crying. Fuck. "I'm sorry I walked out like that. You did fuck up, but you admitted it and you apologized. I should have just accepted it. I really wanted tonight to go better than this."

"It's okay," I said, wishing she was here so I could hug her. I'd turned into such a pussy. "And tonight still can get better."

She sniffled and said, "By the time you get home I'll probably be asleep already. Maybe we should just plan for another night."

"It's okay, you can go to sleep. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"Love you," she said quietly.

"I love you, too. Like, a lot," I said.

"I'll see you in the morning," she promised.

"I'll be the one snuggled up to you," I said with a smile. Yup. Total pussy.

"You better be. Oh, and try not to break your desk by kicking it every fifteen seconds," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"More like break my foot," I chuckled.

"That too. Goodnight, Eric," she yawned.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," I said, and hung up the phone.

Getting through that last hour of work was a lot easier after that conversation. Even knowing that she was going to be asleep when I got home was okay, because I knew I could still sleep next to her rather than on the couch. The relief I felt when we ended a fight always surprised me. I felt lighter, and happier, and knew that we would be okay, no matter what. I also knew, in this instance, that I should never, ever, ever try to teach Sookie a lesson ever again.

I pulled into the garage and made my way upstairs quietly so that I didn't wake Sookie. And then I went into our bedroom and realized that that wasn't something I needed to worry about.

"Surprise," she smiled at me, stretched out on her side. Her dress was gone, but the garters were still there. So were the shoes.

"Fuck. Me," I said, and stood there with my mouth open.

"You're not too tired, are you? Because I have been laying here ever since we got off the phone just thinking all sorts of dirty thoughts..." she trailed off, and her hand started moving to all the places I wanted to be all at once.

"I'm definitely not too tired," I said, and immediately started pulling my clothes off so fast that I tripped over my own feet and fell down.

"Eric!" Sookie scrambled around on the bed to help me up. "Are you okay?" she asked, and tried not to laugh at my lack of coordination.

"I'm fine," I laughed. "I didn't intend to be so graceful, but you can kiss it better if you want."

"Oh, but if you have no boo boos, there's nothing to kiss and make better," she pointed out.

"Oh I have a boo boo," I said, and rubbed my ass.

"Awww, poor baby," she reached around behind me and rubbed it. "That help?"

"You know what would really help it?" I asked her.

"What's that?"

"If you kissed me," I said.

"I think I can manage that," she got up on her knees and moved closer to the edge of the bed. "Where do you want it?"

"I was thinking my lips, but if there's somewhere else you'd like to kiss, then feel free."

"How about I start there and work my way down?" she suggested.

"I'm more than fine with that," I said, and followed her up onto the bed.

She pulled me down on top of her and kissed me sweetly. "Better?"

"Much," I sighed. "I'm such a fool for you, Sookie Northman."

She laughed quietly and said, "You definitely have your moments. Did you really think I was interested in someone else?"

"No, I knew you weren't."

"Good, because I'm yours," she said, and poked my chest.

"And I'm yours," I smiled, and pulled her mouth to mine to kiss her again.

"You're going to have to do better than that to prove it," she taunted with a smile.

"I thought you were the one making me feel better by kissing your way down," I said, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, that's right," she said, and stretched to reach for something under her pillow.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I went shopping in the toy chest," she smirked, and then revealed she'd hidden a pair of red silk scarves under her pillow.

"And which one of us is the lucky one?" I asked with a huge grin, knowing the answer to that already.

"I don't see why we can't take turns."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I'm absolutely up for it," she said, and pushed me onto my back. "Are you?"

"Fuck yes I am," I grinned.

Sookie and I had played a little bit with bondage over the course of our relationship. We weren't into ropes and chains, or any of that shit. Just every now and then, to spice things up, I'd cuff her to the bed, or we'd get out the scarves to blindfold each other. Sookie liked being dominated, but not in a cruel, painful kind of way. She didn't want me to slap her around or humiliate her, but she wasn't averse to being held down, spanked and fucked like the world was ending and my cock inside her was the only way for us to guarantee our survival.

I liked that she was open with me about the things she liked and the things she didn't since I'd never really been with anyone else who trusted me enough to be vocal about those kinds of things. But that was part of what factored into my decision to ask her to marry me, because I knew we could tell each other everything and anything. Like I said before, our sex life was pretty fucking awesome.

She got me into the position she wanted, and tied my wrists to the headboard. This was both exciting and frustrating, because while there was a part of me that was eager to see what she had in mind, the dominant part wanted to just throw her down and fuck her already. I told myself to calm the fuck down and just enjoy the show, because she was definitely going to put one on for me. I could see it in her eyes; she had definitely been plotting. In that moment I wasn't sure if I was in heaven or hell, but I would be happy to stay in that particular purgatory as long as Sookie was right there with me.

"Hmmm... maybe I should blindfold you too," Sookie teased, once she had me tied up.

"This is your show, sweetheart," I smiled at her, but that hint of pure evil in her eyes told me I might regret giving her all that power.

"I think you're going to need your eyes for this," she said, and then kissed me like she did that first night in Mexico so I knew she meant business.

But then the evil kicked in and she took her lips away before I wanted her to. I wanted to pout, but I wasn't going to be that big of a pussy, so I growled instead.

"Minx," I grumbled as Sookie slithered down my body, pausing to lay open mouth kisses wherever she pleased.

She intentionally skipped over all of the trigger spots, making sure to look up into my eyes with a saucy twinkle there whenever she bypassed a spot she knew I would want to feel her lips at. She was way too good at starting a riot in my body, and by the time she got to my knees my dick was ready to secede from the rest of me if it meant Sookie would give it a new home.

"You're an evil, evil woman," I stared at her, knowing she was doing it all on purpose because when she finally untied me it would mean she'd be walking funny for the next day or two.

Yet one more reason I loved her.

"You like it," she said, and I couldn't disagree with her there. "I want to tell you what I was thinking about yesterday when you overheard me with the Hitachi," she said, and her hands started to roam her body.

"You're not naked enough, sweetheart," I told her, but she just shook her head.

"This is my show, remember? Be patient," she taunted with a wink.

"My apologies. Please continue," I said politely, although how there was any blood left in my brain while I watched her right hand slowly make itself comfortable in her panties, I'll never know.

"Now where was I?" she asked, even though I knew she knew exactly where she had left off. "Oh, right… the beginning."

I couldn't see precisely what her hand was doing in her panties, but that was part of the game. She continued talking, being very descriptive about the fantasy that had played in her mind while she'd gotten herself off the day before. The most amazing thing about it was that she had been thinking about giving me head. Her fantasy was all about getting _me_ off, and it had gotten _her_off. The closer I got to coming in her imagination, the faster her hand worked in her panties and when I knew she was close to coming, I started struggling against the restraints.

She had barely touched me, and already I was more than ready to wave the white flag of surrender. If only I had left my boxers on, since the twitching my cock was doing definitely would have caused movement of the material. There were few things sexier than watching my wife orgasm, and when she threw her head back in the throes of her release I thought I might break the headboard to get to her.

"Sookie," I said gruffly, and with authority in my voice.

Her head righted itself, and her eyes settled on me. She had a dreamy expression on her face, and when she slowly withdrew her glistening fingers from her panties, the only acceptable place for them to go was right in my mouth. But she was still in tease mode, and slowly licked them clean, denying me just one of the many things I wanted right in that moment.

"Untie me," I told her, but she just smiled.

I was breathing hard, and definitely fighting against the knots, but that just made them tighter.

"Stop struggling or I'll have to cut you loose," Sookie said with a victorious smile on her face. She was certainly proud of herself, but she had a right to be.

She knew every single one of my buttons to push to drive me absolutely crazy, but I knew hers as well. She crawled up and straddled my waist, brushing over my erection that was bordering on painful at that point. I could feel the heat coming from her, and her panties were definitely wet after the orgasm she'd just had. Her hips rocked against me torturously while she leaned over to untie me. The angle put her breasts in my face, and I tilted my head to gently bite her.

She moaned as she worked the knots out to free me. As soon as I had a hand free I yanked down the black satin and lace that had kept my best friends in a cage. Unacceptable. She would pay for that. My hand squeezed one breast while my mouth worked on the other. As soon as I was free she was going to find herself on her back, her panties in shreds and my cock driving into her.

The look on her face told me she knew it, too.

No sooner was my other hand free than I had us flipped over. Just to give her a taste of her own medicine, I pinned her hands over her head while I tore her flimsy lace underwear out of the way. Sookie moaned when I rubbed the head of my cock against her clit for a few seconds before pushing into her all at once, burying myself to the hilt.

"Fuck!" I groaned, and felt her tight heat clench around me.

Her hips squirmed under me, trying to get me to move but I just wanted to savor the feeling of her. She was amazing—there weren't enough words to describe how good it felt.

"Quit teasing, Northman, and get on with it," she said, but it was _my_turn to smile evilly at her.

"No, no, sweetheart, now you're _mine_," I said, and kissed her roughly.

She kissed back, and even though she tried to fight it, I managed to keep her hands pinned over her head with just one of my own—the benefits of having a much smaller wife were pretty great. Eventually I started moving, and only slowed down a little bit when she came again. It was difficult not to lose it and go with her, but I was determined not to come quite yet. I didn't want it to be over so soon.

Instead, I pulled out of her and stretched out on my back. I planned to enjoy the sight of those garters, and when Sookie moved to straddle me face to face, I told her to turn around. She quirked an eyebrow at me, but a quick slap on the ass got her to do as I said. She winked over her shoulder at me as she slowly slid down onto my cock again.

"Slow," I told her, and watched her move on top of me, alternately rocking her hips and then riding me a little bit faster.

She would lift up until I nearly fell out of her, and then she would slide down just as slowly as she'd moved up. She would quicken her pace for a few seconds, and then slow down again until I thought I was going to lose my fucking mind. When I couldn't take anymore, I rolled us over so she was trapped on her stomach underneath me, with my hand under her, rubbing her clit while I fucked her.

Sookie whimpered and pleaded while I pounded into her from behind. "Eric, please… so close," she said breathlessly.

I pinched her clit just a little, and that sent her over the edge. She screamed my name when she came, and that was all it took to steal the rest of my resistance, and I came with her. I saw fucking stars and lost track of how many times I said her name before I rolled off of her.

A-fucking-mazing.

When my brain started firing again, I turned to Sookie and said, "If we make up like that every time, I may have to try to outsmart you more often."

She giggled and made an unintelligible noise. That was new territory.

"Sookie? Is your brain working?" I asked.

More giggling and a shake of her head back and forth.

"I really did fuck you stupid, didn't I?"

"Uh huh," she nodded, and her voice didn't quite sound like her own.

"I think I lost some brain function as well for a minute there," I chuckled. "Are you going to be able to walk tomorrow?"

"Don't know," she managed to get out, and then shift over to rest her head on my chest. "Don't care."

"You're amazing."

I felt her smile against my skin and she said, "Ditto. Does this mean I can play with the Hitachi anytime I want now?"

"Fuck no."

She giggled some more and said, "You're no fun."

"You can only use it if you're thinking of me," I said. "And no more than once or twice a week."

"Who else would I be thinking of... except Ryan Gosling," she teased.

"Maybe whatever hot guy you checked out last."

"Oh, stop it," she slapped at my stomach lamely. "That guy didn't do anything for me."

"That's because no one does but me," I grinned, and then added, "and Ryan Gosling."

"Damn skippy," she said, and her hand started moving down my stomach.

"Did I not do it right the first time?" I asked.

"I'm greedy," she lifted her head. "Besides, I thought we said we were going to take turns with the scarves."

"Oh we did, and you're going to be really, really happy you reminded me of that in just a few minutes," I grinned, and started looking for the scarves.

"Is that right?" she moved herself so her head was closer to the headboard.

"Yes, that's right," I said, and grinned when I found the scarves. "Assume the position."

She laughed, but lifted her arms over her head and crossed her legs. That got me to lift an eyebrow.

"If you cross your legs, I can't make the magic happen."

"Guess you'll have to uncross 'em," she winked at me.

"I accept that challenge."

"Bring it on," she smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>We hope you enjoyed that little glimpse into their married life. I would say that they'd been married for less than a year at that point. It was definitely before they had kids, that much is for sure. It's kind of fun for us to write these two arguing, since we know they're going to figure out a way to make it work, even if they get supremely pissed at each other while they're fighting. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed that. Thanks for reading!<strong>


End file.
